


You're my good thing

by Reloumi



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abduction, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Connor, But they're idiots, Case Fic, Coming Untouched, Completed, Depressed Hank Anderson, Dirty Talk, Drunken Kissing, Everyone swears, Fluff and Angst, Hank's Dad Bod, M/M, Mild Depiction of Android Damage, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mutual Pining, Ninja Beta Dara is a babe, Only Because They're Drunk, Post-Canon, Power Bottom Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Rimming, Sassy Androids, Stalker, Started as PWP but grew a plot, Teased Reed900, Top Hank Anderson, Traci LEDs are pink, daily updates, drunken smut, they want it guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:20:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23759752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reloumi/pseuds/Reloumi
Summary: Following the events of the Battle of Detroit, Connor finds himself wondering who he is and tries to find himself to help him become more human. He receives an upgrade which allows him to get drunk and certain feelings for the Lieutenant make themselves known resulting in two idiots falling in love whilst trying to deny it for the sake of the other person, whilst also working on a case which threatens the very safety of their budding romance.
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor, teased Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 38
Kudos: 222





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, howdy do my good fellow! Come on in and get comfy! I just wanted to clarify that this is a completed fic, and each chapter will be posted daily (if I have the restraint)
> 
> I hope you enjoy and any comments and kudos are greatly appreciated <3

Months had passed since that fateful evening which saw Connor leading the march of a thousand-strong group of androids, each one in support of the peaceful protest Markus and his team was carrying out. The process from pointing a gun at the revolution leader’s head, becoming deviant, and infiltrating the CyberLife headquarters was a blur, and Connor found himself reeling from the influx of new emotions and the development of a personality. Although scared and confused, he remained in support of the revolution; he just  _ hoped _ his presence during the final stages of the protests would make up for his lack of support whilst he was simply following his protocols -  _ the deviant hunter _ . 

When it seemed that the revolution had reached an impasse with both sides refusing to back down, the news that President Warren has declared androids to be recognised as a new species thanks to overwhelmingly positive public opinion made its rounds throughout the masses of deviated androids. Many cried, sang and cheered in celebration, but Connor simply kept to himself; eager to celebrate in the comfort of a certain, foul-mouthed Lieutenant - the one human that could see the humanity within Connor, when he couldn’t see it himself. 

It was bitingly cold as Connor looked towards the group standing atop a shipping container, fighting with the internal struggle of feeling like he belonged amongst the masses of androids, yet also feeling like a traitor. He was about to leave when he was beckoned by none other than the revolution leader himself to stand alongside his team. Connor argued through the shared link to Markus that he didn’t deserve the recognition, but the leader wouldn’t hear of the defamatory speak and assured Connor that he held an important role in the success of the revolution, stating if not for him, numbers wouldn’t have been on their side and they would probably have failed. 

Against his better judgment, Connor accepted the offer, squinting against the bright fog lights as he found his footing at the back of the group. The sea of elated androids made his thirium pump clench, and it was hard not to smile at what they had achieved. They were  _ free -  _ despite the odds and hostility. 

Connor absently noted a news drone hovering in the distance which was no doubt broadcasting this poignant moment in history as Markus began the victory speech. The leader hadn’t spoken two words before Connor felt his entire system lock, his body standing to attention as if his protocols suddenly flared back to life. He blinked and suddenly he was in his mind palace, staring at the familiar face of Amanda before his body registered the blisteringly cold blizzard that was battering his sensors. 

_ Strange,  _ considering this was all in his head. 

The android panicked as he fought with his own programming, racing against time to regain control and stop his body from submitting to the Amanda program. He was aware that he had unholstered his gun, and it was only a matter of time before it would be raised, and a bullet was shot and implanted into Markus’ head. Time seemed to trickle by slowly as Connor found the strange plinth he discovered after speaking with Kamski, and his creator’s words rang through the mind palace as the realisation of what they meant washed over him.

_ By the way... I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know… _

All Connor could hear was the blizzard and Amanda’s screamed refusal of being bested as he slammed his palm against the stone, rocketing him back into his body. He blinked rapidly as he shook his head, noticing the gun was only slightly raised before he threw it aside. Markus was almost finished speaking, and the others were too engrossed in his words to pay Connor any attention - North quirked an eyebrow in question at the discarded firearm, but that was all. 

Connor felt his vision become distorted and wondered if Cyberlife still had control over him until he realised his eyes had filled with fluid, emulating tears. The shock that he was able to do that quickly made them recede, but it happened, and the detective android was left with so many questions. He breathed heavily in an effort to calm himself, he’d seen Hank do this hundreds of times and it seemed to work for him. As he blew the air out, making a noise as he did, Markus gestured to his team, and Connor, thanking them for their input before extending the thanks to the hordes of androids who raptly clung to each and every word the leader had to say.

After the speeches and the crowds dispersed, Connor soon found himself outside a familiar food truck, although it appeared abandoned - except for the slightly bedraggled and exhausted figure of his partner lurking. He wasn’t sure how, but he ended up encased in the human’s arms a moment later, and for the first time since becoming deviant, he felt like he was in the right place. 

***

The months following the revolution saw a barrage of new laws, ensuring the safety of androids, and providing them with recognition as a new race. Basic rights were granted, and Cyberlife quickly rebranded from a company which manufactured androids, to a company which maintained and upgraded existing android’s, whilst providing them with any support they may require in response to the new laws. Android’s could now own property, vote, seek education and be paid for any work they conducted. 

The first month had been tough for Connor as he had waited patiently to see if he’d be allowed to return to work at the DPD and officially sworn in with his own badge and firearm. The android had considered himself lucky that the Lieutenant had so graciously offered a place at his home whilst he had still been figuring himself out, so that was one less worry to consider. Eventually, he had been called into the station by Captain Fowler, who had presented the android with his badge and rights to work at the station. Connor had marvelled at the piece of metal, the mirror finish reflecting his distorted smile as he had memorised his badge number. An apartment of his own had followed shortly, though he had missed spending his evenings and nights at the Lieutenant's home.

It wasn’t long before Cyberlife announced its plans to provide upgrades to android’s who wanted to be closer to humanity; including the ability to eat, drink and sleep. It was a month before Connor decided to book an appointment, his reasoning being that he was an advanced prototype and already possessed a striking likeness to humanity, so there was no need…  _ that _ was until he bumped into another RK800 android and found the experience unnerving. 

How did the more heavily manufactured models cope? 

At first, his appointment was for cosmetic purposes only; slight changes to his appearance that would make him feel at least slightly individual since  _ eight  _ other androids walked around with his face model, but after careful consideration, he decided to receive the upgrades so he could eat and drink too. He didn’t actually  _ have  _ to use them, although his program screamed at him that doing so was wasteful. 

Luckily, he didn’t need to receive the upgrades for the genital components, since Cyberlife saw some loose logic in fitting his model with them already. The memory of an old conversation with the Lieutenant came to the forefront of Connor’s mind and he smirked at the human’s obvious embarrassment.

_ RK800 #313 248 317 - 51 // ACCESSING MEMORY FILE  _

_ ACCESS GRANTED _

_ SEARCHING // ENCRYPTED FILE FOUND _

_ DECRYPTING FILE… _

_ MEMORY #12202038 - 13:24; _

~

_ “I would be grateful if you didn’t choose that exact spot to put your paws, Sumo.” Connor chided the St. Bernard as he put a considerable amount of weight on the android’s crotch. _

_ Hank laughed as he beckoned the dog away, “S’not like you’ve got anything there to be worried about.”  _

_ “On the contrary, Lieutenant. I am actually fitted with a complete set of fully functional genitals, and since deviancy, I find a sudden impact or a large weight to be unpleasant.” Connor informed deadpan as if the two men were discussing the nutritional benefits of bread. _

_ The human’s eyebrows raised to a comical height before he managed to speak, “Wh… what? Wait a minute, did you just tell me you have a dick?” _

_ Connor made sure he looked Hank in the eyes as he nodded, “Of course, Lieutenant. I was built to blend in harmoniously with humans.” _

_ “What’s harmonious about having a dick?” _

_ “In means of undercover operations. My LED can be covered or removed, but I wouldn’t easily be able to fake ‘a dick’.” Connor’s use of air quotes gave Hank pause, almost making the human smirk before the embarrassment of finding out his android partner was more than just a life-size action man took over. _

_ ~ _

_ ENCRYPTING FILE... _

_ FILE CLOSED SUCCESSFULLY; _

At the time, Connor found the conversation to be purely factual, but thinking about it now set a feeling heavy in the pit of his stomach.  _ Or at least _ , the area in which a stomach would be if he had one. He technically would soon, but for now, it was just a heavy feeling. He first attributed it to dread but decided that wasn’t it, landing on the conclusion that the feeling was in fact what humans called  _ butterflies _ .

_ Odd. _

It at least gave him something to think about as he caught an autonomous cab to his CyberLife appointment, and it took his mind off the nervous feeling he was experiencing at the thought of being rigged up now he was deviant. Entering the clinical store did nothing to quell his anxiety and Connor immediately associated the building with a human hospital, maybe not the same scale in square footage, but a hospital all the same - uneasy feeling included. 

As the android checked in a file request transfer popped up in his HUD, noting it was an information package on the upgrades he planned to receive. He was mildly surprised to find the drinking upgrade included the ability to imbibe alcohol.  _ Fascinating _ . Even though his only experience with drunkenness came from his partner, and the use of alcohol was a coping mechanism for him at best. Connor could see the appeal in having a friendly drink with Hank, and his fellow co-workers; and if that experience could provide new feelings alongside it, then he was eager for the opportunity.

Besides his internal upgrades, Connor’s main reason for being at the clinic was so he could alter his appearance. He had grown to admire the errant curl that never moved on his forehead since he became deviant, and he didn’t want to change too drastically. He decided he preferred a more relaxed look; thus, changing his slicked-back hair for a more tousled, curly texture whilst keeping the original colour, and he also opted to change his eye colour to a warmer brown with flecks of amber. The changes were subtle, but it expressed a muted individuality, nonetheless. 

The internal upgrades took longer than he had anticipated, and he was slightly grateful Hank forced him to take the entire day off rather than just the morning. Being rigged up was…  _ different.  _ Not as uncomfortable as he had expected but being hardwired via his neck port sent a chill through the entirety of his synth skin, feeling tiny pricks along his forearms as it took over his entire body.

“ _ Connor _ ,” The android met eyes with an MC500 android, designed to be a paramedic or first aider, “You’re all set, you should find all your upgrades working and ready to use. Be sure to use the correct sanitation methods; we’d prefer that you didn’t have to return because you got mouldy.” 

“That won’t be a problem.” He smiled genuinely; the action still mildly foreign to him.

Connor gave his thanks and bid the android farewell as he re-initialised his cellular network; not expecting his communication software to assault him with an influx of texts from Hank, each growing more distressed as time progressed.

{Hank} 16:12: I’m being forced to go to the bar for Wilson’s bachelor party, SAVE ME!!

{Hank} 16:48: How long is your thing gonna take? They’re threatening to make me do shots.  _ Shots _ .

{Hank} 16:49: I’m 52 for fuck’s sake, I don’t do shots.

{Hank} 17:03: CONNOR HELP.

{Hank} 17:14: :’(

The android smirked at the Lieutenant’s predicament and quickly responded, hoping that in the fifty-one minutes since the last text Hank hadn't gotten too drunk to respond. 

{Connor} 18:05: Sorry Hank, all done. Send me the address and I’ll rescue you. 

{Hank} 18:09: my fuckin hero! <3

The android smiled and shook his head; clearing the messages whilst also accepting the fact that he’d be  _ carrying  _ his partner home. He was grateful for the forethought to wear something smarter than the usual DPD sweats he favoured when he wasn’t on duty. This would be his first bachelor party, even if they didn’t want him to stay. Connor didn’t enjoy the idea of standing out more than he already did.

A taxi was waiting for him when he exited the CyberLife store, and as he sat, he couldn’t shake off a strange feeling in the base of his spine, right up to his shoulder blades. It made his teeth itch and his fingers drum on his kneecaps incessantly; wishing he had his coin that was tucked safely in his work jacket at his apartment. He brushed non-existent wrinkles out of his grey checked trousers, tapped the heels of his black leather boots, picked at invisible loose threads on his navy bomber jacket. It clicked after he toyed with the new curls on his head, making sure the errant flick of hair was in place on his forehead. 

He was  _ nervous _ . Not in an  _ ‘I’m about to have surgery’ _ sort of way, but rather, ‘ _ What if they don’t like me?’. _

Besides Hank, Connor had only been in contact with the people at the station whilst they were on duty, they’d never even seen him in normal clothing; now he’d changed his appearance too. Would they think he was trying too hard? Would they prefer the old Connor? Would they even want to talk to him outside of the station?

The sound of beeping broke his thoughts and a notification popped up in his vision;

_ ALERT // 17:46: Arrived at Bronco Bar, Camden, Ravendale District. _

Connor paid his fare wirelessly before he accepted his fate to be ridiculed. The air was bitingly cold at this time of night, and the android hugged his jacket closer as he rushed into the bar. He noted this one didn’t have any negative signage regarding androids, even before the revolution and nodded in surprised appreciation at his colleagues’ choice of venue. 

The door closed with a definitive thud as the sound of a loud cheer echoed through the bar.  _ Found them _ , Connor thought to himself. When the android paid more attention to the clientele of the bar and found a pretty even ratio of android to humans, he could feel himself calm slightly. He smiled, deciding to get the bachelor a drink before he greeted the party. 

Connor found it strange, buying alcohol. It was the first time he could actually drink the stuff; experience the taste and  _ effects _ . On a whim he bought himself a drink too, even if the rest of the precinct didn’t want to drink with him,  _ Hank  _ would. 

An AJ700 android passed him two glasses of whiskey on the rocks, accepting payment via LED. She winked before her eyes flicked to someone behind Connor.

“Well, helloooo  _ handsome _ .” A voice slurred, giggling. 

Connor knew the voice instantly.

“Reed?” Connor questioned with horror, but the detective ignored him, getting handsy as the fog of alcohol skewed his ability to recognise the android. 

“N’awww such a shame you got a drink already! I’da loved to’ve bought you one,  _ sweetness _ .” The direct eye contact the detective was giving him caught Connor off guard.

“Um... uh...Reed? it’s me Con-”

“ _ Connor _ ?!” The incredulous and familiar voice of the Lieutenant cut through his stuttering, “That  _ you _ ?”

Connor forgot for a moment that he’d changed his appearance, though he didn’t think he looked  _ that  _ different. “Uh...yeah.”

That caught Reed’s attention, the veil of alcohol lifting for a moment and Connor was sure he saw the detective turn green, “I think I’m gonna be sick.” 

“ _ Reed _ , you read my mind - I feel the same way!” Connor grimaced as he teased, extracting himself from the detective’s arms that were caged around him; loosely pinning him to the bar, “I’m truly flattered, but you’re not my type.”

“ _ Fuck off _ .”

The android beamed; smug with the knowledge that the detective was showing signs of arousal, “Gladly.” 

Reed sulked over to the bachelor party, proverbial tail between his legs and filled with the hope that Hank or Connor wouldn’t tease him for.

Connor was too happy with himself to realise he was being stared at, by Hank no less. The android raised a questioning brow to the Lieutenant, and he noted his heart rate had increased.  _ Strange.  _

“Do I really look that different?” Connor asked, a frown taking over his face as he wondered if he had made a mistake, “I can change back-.”

“No!” Hank cut him off, looking sheepish, “I mean...uh… it looks good. It suits you.” 

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” 

“Con, we’re not at work.”

Connor rolled his eyes, “Thank you,  _ Hank _ .” He noticed the human’s heart rate stutter slightly and he eyed him suspiciously before letting it go.  _ Weird humans and their weird… reactions. _

“So, what’s with the drinks, huh?” Hank nodded towards the two glasses, the ice slowly melting.

“Oh… one is for Wilson, to congratulate him. The other is for… well, it’s for  _ me _ .”

“For you? But you can only ‘drink’ blue blood.” Hank was visibly confused, clearly, the alcohol was making his brain function slower, “Oooh! The upgrades!” The human was evidently pleased with his master skill of deduction, you could practically  _ hear  _ the penny drop.

“ _ Bingo _ .” Connor pointed a finger at him whilst still holding a glass, “Can’t get anything past you, huh?”

“What can I say? I’m a good detective,” Hank still looked pleased with himself, “So you can eat and drink now, right? Though I don’t see the point in drinking if you can’t get drunk, it doesn’t exactly taste nice.”

“Oh, but I  _ can _ Hank.” The android smirked, “Part of the upgrade was that I have the ability to imbibe alcohol.”

“No shit?” The human was stunned, but quickly realised this was probably Connor’s first drink, “I can’t say I’d recommend hard liquor for your first drink though, Con.” 

The android glared, considering his choices. He kept eye contact with the human as he lifted the glass to his lips, slowly drinking the amber liquid and  _ feeling  _ the burn as it hit his throat. Surprisingly, he didn’t cough. _ That would’ve been embarrassing. _ Connor swallowed visibly; the sensation of drinking alcohol was strange but easier to ingest than thirium. 

“You’re an idiot.” Hank chided half-heartedly, with amusement in his voice. “Whatever, kid. It’s your funeral.” 

“I’m sorry.” Connor hiccupped, eyes widening in brief shock, “ _ Liquid courage _ , you could say. I’m nervous that the others won’t like me.”

The Lieutenant scoffed, “You’re the most liked in the damn precinct, Connor. The only person who we  _ thought _ didn’t like you just sulked back to the table with a hard-on after trying to chat you up.” His voice had a weird strain to it; one that Connor couldn't decipher, whilst also avoiding eye-contact. 

Connor could feel a blush threatening to tint his cheeks, “Please don’t remind me.”

“Hey, look at it this way. If you fancy trying something out with a human, you know Reed’s game.”

The android grimaced before tilting his head in mock consideration, noticing how Hank had become huffy that he hadn’t flat out refused yet, “Would you be  _ ‘game’ _ ?” 

It’s funny how four simple words can make a human almost keel over. Hank’s heart rate doubled as he coughed and spluttered; processing what his partner had said to him, “What the hell, Connor!?”

“ _ ‘Game’ _ with an android. Not  _ me,  _ in particular. Apologies, I should have clarified.” The android smirked. What if he was talking about himself? Connor knew nothing between him, and Hank would ever happen, but the idea of the human being open to a relationship with an android made Connor…  _ feel  _ things. 

“I...uh… haven’t really given it much thought,” The human muttered, swirling the liquid in his glass, “Come on, let's get you another drink.”

Before Connor had a chance to congratulate the bachelor, he’d had three drinks bought for him by his colleagues; all who seemed genuinely happy that he was able to make it last minute. He withheld the fact that he was actually here to rescue Hank from the chaos, but it turned out their focus on getting their Lieutenant drunk was switched to the android whose new features were far more entertaining to try out.


	2. Chapter 2

Hank stared at Connor as he was finishing his current drink, having lost count on how many he had had, “You should be on your ass by now,” it came out bitter,  not too happy about the fact that his partner was out-drinking him , “Either you're a complete natural, or Cyberlife fucked something up with your tolerance settings.” 

Reed piped up as he draped himself over the booth seating since the ability to sit like a normal person had evaded him, “Noooo shit. That fucker has had more than me… It’d be fucking hilarious if the tincan was a heavy drinker though, you’d be perfect for each other, Hank.” The detective threw a coaster to make his point more dramatic, but it ended up falling short and he hit himself in the face.

Connor ignored their bickering as he ran a quick diagnostic on his new features, specifically the tolerance settings as Hank pointed out and found that the Lieutenant was right. The settings were set to the bare minimum, giving him the ability to continue to drink until he needed to empty the waste receptacle without becoming inebriated. 

“It appears you were partially right, Hank. The settings aren’t ‘ _ fucked up’ _ , they’re just running at the minimum,” He set the tolerance settings to the recommended level for an adult male as he spoke, “It should be working now-”

Instant regret.

The android spaced out as his settings caught up with the alcohol in his system. For a fleeting moment, he was certain the Lieutenant had acquired a bat out of thin air and hit him around the back of the head. He’d never experienced something like that, though he was pretty sure this was how it would feel. 

A bubbly sort of sound started, and Connor couldn’t explain it, it began quiet and continued to rise in volume. Suddenly, his shoulders were jerking, and he realised  _ he  _ was laughing; no-  _ giggling. _

That noise was him.

“What the...?” Connor asked as he met Hank’s face, although there were three of him, “Hank, you have friends!”

The human beamed, “I fucking knew it!” He pumped his fist in the air before he placed a hand on the android’s shoulder to steady him.

Connor was too busy focusing on not toppling off the barstool he was sat on to notice that a hand was on his shoulder.  _ The  _ hand.  _ Hank’s  _ hand. The  _ hand  _ of  _ Hank.  _ He snapped himself out of the loop he was falling into before he started to hyper fixate on that small detail. Hank had touched him before;  _ hugged  _ him, even. Why was it causing him to short out this time? 

The android began to slide off the barstool when he forgot to focus on staying upright, but Hank was quick to grab his arm and hoist him to his feet. The sudden change in position was disorientating, and the Lieutenant forgot for a moment that he was just as drunk as Connor; even if he was able to handle it better.

“Ookay, I think it’s time we called it,” Hank announced to the fellow party-goers, most of which were just as worse for wear as they were, “I think we broke Connor.” 

“I’m  _ fiiiiine _ .” Connor whined as a dazed smile took over half of his face, “You’re funny.”

Hank sighed deeply, wanting to laugh at the kid but forcing himself not to. The last thing he was going to do was have a laughing fit whilst holding the usually uptight android. Not only didn’t he trust his stability, but his partner was currently rubbing up against him in all sorts of ways, ways Hank knew would never be happening if Connor was sober. He shook his head to clear the wayward thoughts as he adjusted his grip on Connor, supporting the majority of his weight as he walked them out of the bar and into one of the autonomous cabs that were stationed outside it. 

“ _ Fucking-A,”  _ Hank whispered to himself at the convenience, dumping his partner along the seat facing backwards as he took the one opposite. 

Connor sprawled on the uncomfortable seat as Hank carefully input his address into the cab. The android couldn’t do much more than close his eyes with a self-satisfied smile plastered to his face.

“You’re on my couch tonight,” He nudged his partner where a human’s ribs would be, eliciting a groan, “Don’t fight me.”

The android giggled, raising his fists in a mock attempt at a challenge, “ _ Fight me _ .” He threw some punches muttering  _ pow pow _ . 

Hank hated to admit that it was adorable, “Don’t make it hard, Con.”

His partner snorted, “I can’t tonight anyway; I have a headache.”

The Lieutenant’s jaw dropped, momentarily lost for words, “ _ Whatthefuck _ did you just say?” 

“Ruh-roh _ ,”  _ The android lifted the palms of his hands to Hank, “ _ Busted! _ ” 

The autonomous cab jerked to life, rocking the android and sending him to the floor with a definitive  _ oof _ . Hank was grateful; if his mind was allowed to continue the path it was taking, he was certain he’d have Connor in his lap by now. 

He offered a hand to the android through his deep laughter and tugged him into the space at the side of him, revelling in the feel of his partner's weight as he settled into his side. 

“M’Sorry Hank. Thanks for looking out for me.” Connor raised a heavy limb, feeling around the human’s body until he found the tell-tale scratch of a beard, “ _ Pat pat.”  _

“I’m not a fucking cat.” Hank sputtered, trying to sound offended but he couldn’t as Connor’s hand continued to pat his cheek. 

“Mmm, me- _ ow.”  _

Hank could feel his cheeks warm, “I will throw you out of this cab.” 

“But  _ whyy?  _ My scans tell me your heart rate has increased anytime I’ve said something suggestive.” The look on the android’s face gave him pause, for a moment he looked completely sober until his eyes glazed over again.

“ _ Connor… _ ” The Lieutenant warned, hoping that his partner might be able to realise he was treading on thin ice; ice he didn’t want to break. So what if he was lying to himself? 

The android squinted at the human until he conceded, resting his head against Hank’s arm for the remainder of the trip. 

Hank jerked his shoulder to rouse the android, “Move it, we’re here.”

“Make me.” 

“Excuse me?”

Connor sat up and made direct eye contact with Hank, “I said, _make me.”_

The human baulked at the smug grin on the android as he practically purred the words. Accepting the challenge, he pulled Connor outside the cab and onto his feet easily, and not wanting to take it lightly, he hoisted him above and across his shoulders. 

“Oh shit, no-  _ Hank _ ! Put. Me. Down!” He wriggled to try and break free, but the human was holding him tight, “You’re gonna pull your back carrying me like this.”

“That’s a future me problem,” Hank reasoned, “Plus someone was being a brat.”

“I was  _ not  _ being a brat!” 

Hank scoffed, “ _ Yeah,  _ saying ‘make me’ once is enough to call you a brat. Saying it again; the way you did, is what I’d call a fucking  _ tease.”  _

Connor went quiet. Hank was unclear whether he was plotting or trying to think of something to say in response. He opened his front door far easier than he expected in his altered state, and safely entered the house. He gave himself a moment to centre himself as the room spun chaotically out of control but steeled himself as he leaned to set Connor down vertical once more. 

Unfortunately, or fortunately, if Hank’s libido had a say in the matter, setting Connor down on his feet was far more touchy-feely than when he picked him up. He placed a steadying hand on the android’s hip as he moved his shoulder but pulled it away as if he’d touched lava. The gesture was intimate regardless, but his shirt had risen, exposing skin and Hank had made direct contact.  _ He was screwed. _

Standing at full height in such close proximity, it was clear the atmosphere had changed. It felt like if there was the slightest spark, the entire house would be ablaze in seconds. 

Connor opened his mouth to say something, but it was cut off by a loud  _ boof.  _

_ “ _ Hey, Sumo buddy! Wondered where you were.” Hank beamed, crouching to fuss the dog, desperate for something that wasn’t Connor to distract him. ”Were you sleeping, old man?”

“It is late,” Connor added, his voice small in the quiet of the living room. 

“Talking about late,” Hank started, placing hands on his knees as he moved to leave, “I’ll make the couch up for ya.”

“Wait-  _ Hank.”  _ The android started, placing a gentle hand on the human’s wrist in an effort to stop him from leaving. 

It worked at least and Hank immediately stopped moving, his gaze fixed on where his partner’s hand was touching his skin. Connor pulled him closer, directing his hand back to the hip he was touching a moment ago. 

“Connor-  _ don’t,”  _ Hank warned as his voice broke, not entirely sure on what he was warning the android about.  _ Maybe  _ that if he continued, Hank wouldn’t be able to stop.

“But I want to.” Connor’s gaze flicked from Hank’s eyes to his lips as if he was warning the human of his intention. 

Hank saw the warning and did nothing about it, the feeling of Connor’s lips ghosting over his own brought him momentarily back to reality. 

“Con, you don’t even know what you want. And the last I knew you were pretty fucking drunk and I ain’t having that on my conscious.” Hank willed himself to retreat to his bedroom, but he was rooted to the spot, unable to move even if he tried. 

A hand which somehow snaked around the human’s neck began to move, lightly brushing his chest and stomach before stopping at the waistband of his jeans.

“I think you’ll find I know exactly what I want,  _ Hank.”  _ Connor breathed the Lieutenant's name in a way that sent heat straight to Hank’s hips, and then lower, “And if you’re worried, I can’t give consent I’d be happy to turn my tolerance settings off.” 

Hank’s brain went into hyperdrive, considering all the possible things that could go wrong with fucking Connor. He’d be a damn liar if he said he didn’t want to; it had been this way since the android  _ winked  _ at him all those months ago. The most they’d get is a slap on the wrist from Fowler; fraternization wasn’t encouraged but definitely wasn’t illegal, just as long as they didn’t take up to having quickies in the precinct and throwing around blatant PDA’s. But who was he kidding? This was going to be an onetime thing that they’d both probably regret in the morning when sober and hungover.  _ If his partner could get hungover, of course.  _

Connor could see the wheels turning in Hank’s head, “It’s taken me a while to realise you want this too,” He idly stroked a finger along the sizable boner Hank no longer bothered to hide, “And we can worry about consequences tomorrow.” 

_ Well,  _ he’d be a fool to turn down this horny android who was practically throwing himself at him. He heard the android muttering something about worry and consequences and tomorrow, but he was too busy working out the logistics of fucking his partner over the back of the couch.

The human decided that wouldn’t do, even drunk he knew that this was most likely Connor’s first time, and he wanted it to be comfortable and hoped it would be a  _ good _ memory for him at the very least. 

Done with thinking, Hank gave a momentary warning as he flexed his hand that was still squeezing the androids hip before forcefully tugging Connor against his chest; lips meeting in a devastating assault that left even the android who didn’t need to breathe, breathless. He tasted whiskey and something he couldn’t quite place, his mind labelling it simply as  _ Connor. _

“Shall we...um… bedroom?” Connor stuttered adorably, dazed from the sudden change in his partner.

“ _ Fuck yeah.”  _ Hank agreed eagerly as he all but dragged the android with him.

They kicked off their shoes as they entered the slightly dishevelled room. Hank gently pushed his partner on his bed; thankful he changed the sheets that morning.  _ Maybe you’ll need to change them again after this _ , the lewd part of Hank’s brain offered. Hank shut his bedroom door to keep his pony-sized dog from snooping as he heard Connor shuffling on his bed. He turned just in time to see the android pulling off his t-shirt, baring his naked chest dotted with sporadic moles. 

_ Fucking work of art. _

Hank followed suit, a fleeting moment of self-consciousness waving over him but it was dulled by the alcohol in his system. It was nice to realise he didn’t give a shit about what he looked like for once. He quickly unbuttoned the top of his shirt before pulling the entire garment over his head, moving closer to the android sprawled on his bed.

Connor’s eyes widened in shock, but not for the disparaging reasons Hank would normally come up with. His upper chest and left bicep were covered in ink, the colours almost as intense as the day he had it done. Intricate markings that depicted a fiery phoenix cradling a DPD badge in its maw; the words  _ Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus  _ arching over his collar bone. 

_ ‘We hope for better things; It will rise from the ashes’  _ Connor’s system provided him with the translation unprompted.

“ _ Hank _ , you’re beautiful.” Connor breathed, eliciting an intense blush from his partner.

“Apparently booze makes you fucking blind,” Hank laughed, his nature to self-depreciate way too ingrained into him to be able to take a compliment, “But thank you, you’re not so bad yourself.”

Connor beamed; did he really find it surprising that Hank found him attractive? The android was a walking wet dream; clearly sent by Cyberlife to fuck his life up with that  _ goofy  _ face he couldn’t say no to. 

“My opti…  _ op-ti-cal _ components are working just fine.”  _ Then the cheeky fucker winked.  _

“Too bad your vocal ones are having a tough time,” Hank mused, crawling on the bed as he pulled Connor’s thighs around his waist, “But if I’m honest I’m only interested in  _ certain  _ components right now.” He pressed his hardened cock into Connor’s, only mildly surprised to find the android was in the same predicament as he was.

_ “Fu… Ha… Hank!”  _ Connor keened as he felt Hank press against him, his pleasure sensors were firing off just from some stimulation whilst clothed.

“I should’a known you were gonna be noisy in bed when you can hardly shut up at work.” The human jerked his hips again, extracting another desperate sob from the android. 

“I can… t...turn it down if… if you want.” Connor was tempted to lower his sensitivity anyway if he was this vocal from some heavy petting, who knew how loud he’d be when Hank was  _ inside  _ him.

“Don’t you fucking dare.” 

The android nodded as Hank brushed against him again, harder than before and Connor broke off his moan by pulling the human into a lust-filled kiss; both of them demanding and eager for more. 

Hank would be happy for the fever dream he was experiencing to continue as it was, even if he wanted a whole lot more from the android. He hadn’t expected much in the ways of a sexual partner from Connor, considering his inexperience in the department, so the last thing he expected was to be tackled to the bed as the world tumbled around him and settled. Before he could ask what had happened the android was straddling him, face buried in the human’s neck as he kissed, sucked and  _ nipped  _ in just the right places. 

Connor ground his hips into Hank as he continued his exploration of his partner's body, leaving bruises in his wake alongside a trail of synthetic saliva; almost mapping where he had already been and where he needed to explore next. The android traced a finger over the striking tattoo; he wanted to ask about its meaning but thought against it.  _ Now was not the time.  _ Instead, he traced the art on Hank’s chest with his tongue, leaving wetness in its wake before teasing his nipple with his teeth.

“Fuck, Con. Have you done this before?” Hank was unable to keep out the hint of jealousy in his voice.

The android shook his head as he continued his journey down Hank’s body, only stopping to pay attention to the odd scar, “Nope.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Hank admitted and looked down. He was shocked he didn’t come immediately by the sight of Connor inches from his cock straining against the material of his jeans. 

“I lack experience, not confidence,” Connor muttered, his breath tickling the lower part of Hank’s stomach, “plus, I researched.” 

“You’re not running a fucking Traci program right now are you?” Hank sputtered, horrified at the possibility.

Connor turned to his side and tapped his blue LED, “This isn’t pink, so no. And I doubt I’d be able to initiate the program even if I tried.” He wobbled in his drunkenness as if to make his point clear.

“Then how the hell are you-  _ Oh fuck.”  _

The android successfully stole Hank’s breath as he licked at the head of Hank’s  _ uncovered  _ cock. Hank wasn’t sure if Connor was a master of distraction, or simply magic since he’d managed to unbutton his jeans and pull down the front of his boxers without him noticing. 

The android gripped Hank’s cock around the base, giving him a curious stroke, “ _ Sta-tis-ti-cally  _ speaking; you’re a lot bigger than average.”

Connor hooked two fingers in the waistband of Hank’s jeans and yanked, gesturing for the human to help him remove his pants. In one fluid motion, the Lieutenant was laid bare with an all-too-curious android stroking him to incoherency. 

“This…  _ fuck…  _ is fucking unfair,” Hank whined as the android flicked his tongue along the underside of Hank’s cock, “you still have clothes on.” 

“All in good time.” The android waved him off, taking the head of Hank’s cock in his mouth; unable to take him fully but trying, nonetheless.

“ _ Oh, shi-  _ nnng. Con!” Hank was no longer capable of full sentences; his partner was catching him off guard with every new thing he did _. _

Hank clawed at the bedsheets, unable to keep his mouth shut even though he’d just sassed Connor about being noisy. He was being assaulted in every sense; watching Connor suck his cock was too much to witness, and if he closed his eyes the wet sounds of the android bobbing up and down were just as devastating.

Just when Hank thought his partner couldn’t sideswipe him anymore, Connor released the pressure holding him at his base and began to move in sync to his mouth, twisting as he stroked. Hank could feel himself racing to the finish line. The months he’d spent pining for the android, and then the sudden confession that Connor felt the same way - sexually at least - made him feel dizzy with how fast his partner had worked him this close to orgasm. If he let Connor keep this up, the night would be over before it even  _ truly _ began, and he didn’t want that. 

The Lieutenant pushed his fingers through his partner's unruly curls, making him moan around his cock.  _ Bad idea.  _ With all the willpower he could find he tugged on Connor’s hair and pulled him off his cock with a  _ pop _ , eyes wide as they stared at Hank.

_ Even bad-er idea. _

_ “Hank?”  _ The android questioned, voice breathy and gravely in all the right ways. 

The human smiled reassuringly before pulling Connor up to him and setting him on his back. Hank wriggled into place; replicating the position they were in earlier, although he hooked the android’s legs over his shoulder, rather than around his waist.

“If you carried on for a second more, I’d be no use later on.” Connor eyebrows creased for a moment before he seemed to understand, “I’m an old man Con, I don’t have it in me to get it up twice.”

“You’re not old- Oh! I get it,” Connor tilted his head at the thought, “androids don’t have a  _ re-frac-tory  _ period.” 

“Dumb it down for me Con.” The human asked, whilst unbuttoning the android’s pants.

“I can come and be ready again straight away. No waiting times.” 

Hank made a sound of interest before removing Connor’s pants in one quick move, leaving him just as unceremoniously bare as Hank. “Guess we get to try that out, huh?”

Connor didn’t have time to process what Hank had said before he felt himself being taken in the mouth that just spoke to him. The entire time he teased the human, his LED was a steady blue but now it flicked to yellow, the unexpected euphoria causing him to almost short circuit and it took him a moment to process what was happening.

“Did you go on screensaver mode or something?” Hank asked as he saw Connor’s slack expression glaring at the ceiling.

Hank took the android’s more reasonably sized cock back into his mouth and sucked, this time getting more of a response than shocked silence. He hummed in approval as he continued taking the android in further and he swallowed making Connor buck into his throat.

“Ah!  _ Shit- Hank! Oh, fuck.”  _ The android managed to pant, losing coherency the quicker Hank moved, causing his vision to go fuzzy. 

Hank released Connor’s cock audibly, “My my, someone’s got a dirty mouth.” He continued to stroke his partner as he explored his body whilst he laid between his thighs. 

The moles and freckles were everywhere; blanketed sporadically over Connor’s skin like an inverted image of the night’s sky. Hank could get lost trying to find them all to pick a favourite. At the moment he was fond of one on the inner synth-skin of Connor’s thigh; a place that not everyone could get to see, and Hank was lucky enough to know of its existence. 

Occasionally Hank would lick along the shaft of Connor’s cock, and circle the head before going back to stroking. Still curious about the tiny perfect imperfections scattering the android. With a gentle pace, Hank worked his partner up to the point where he bucked at the slightest touch. He continued groping at the android wherever he could and managed to squeeze at his ass until he pulled his hand away finding his fingers were slick with what looked like lube.

Hank had other ways he could think of to test Connor’s refractory period out, but this discovery seemed to be worth investigating. He gently swiped his finger against the android’s ass again and he found more lube.  _ CyberLife had thought of everything, but why the fuck would a detective unit need to be self-lubricating?  _ He knew of the feature existing, some of the officers were more inclined to use the Eden club before the revolution, and they’d share stories about this...  _ convenient  _ feature.

They weren’t wrong, but the fact that Connor had it, created more questions than he cared for. He shook the thoughts out of his head and continued his exploration of his partner's ass. His fingers brushed against Connor’s hole and the android tensed, a muffled moan escaping him.

Hank glanced up and saw he had covered his face with a pillow, “Hey- don’t hide, I want to hear you.” The human encouraged.

Connor could only nod as he moved the pillow, cheeks gloriously blue. Hank focused on his face and he pressed against the resistance of the android’s ass and eased a finger inside him.

The android jaw went slack as a deep moan escaped his throat, “ _ Fuuck… _ Hank! It feels... _ hm.” _

“Weird, right?” Hank offered, gently working his finger into his tight hole, “It gets better I promise. Just relax.” 

Hank knew he had to try his best to ignore the sounds coming from Connor, every time the android sighed, moaned or swore; it would send bolts of electricity straight to his already too-hard cock, and for now, this was about making Connor feel good. Connor; who less than a few months ago couldn’t feel ‘good’ or anything. Not while his programming was still functional at least. 

Of course, Connor would be, well,  _ stiff.  _ It was hard enough to finger the android since he’d never had anything up his ass before, but he was coiled so tightly it was a surprise the Lieutenant was able to even thrust his finger.

“Con, you’re gonna have to try and relax or you’ve got no chance of me fucking you.” Hank kept his gentle exploration of the android’s tightness as he managed to add another finger, trying to find the tiny bundle of nerves he assumed his partner would have, “We don’t have to if this is too much.”

_ “ _ It’s not!” The android assured, trying his best to relax around the two fingers inside him. Connor sighed heavily; the feeling was strange to describe. It wasn’t painful, or particularly bad, but Hank was pretty spot on calling it  _ weird, “It’s just…  _ it’s like I’m missing some- _ thing!” _

Hank beamed, his face splitting as he smugly muttered that he’d  _ found it.  _ Connor almost screamed, his voice breaking into static; he was too dazed to care as his body could feel a current of electricity bouncing its way around his internal workings, settling at the base of his neck.

“What was that?” The android questioned, panting and moaning; hoping the human would do it again.

The Lieutenant snorted, “Fuck knows what it is; I’m sure if you weren’t drunk you’d be telling me all about it. But for a human, it’s the prostate. I’m guessing this-” Hank pressed into it again causing the android to arch his back, “Mimics that.” 

Connor had fallen into incoherency again as he relaxed, allowing Hank to move and make this part enjoyable. 

“So Con, about this refractory period...” The human began, slowly massaging the two fingers inside the android against the spot that made his vision turn white.

Hank didn’t continue; he focused purely on all things Connor, adding a third finger into his ass as he continued to relax and began fucking him. His partner wriggled on the bed, moans tumbled from his mouth and his hips stuttered as the onslaught of attention and pleasure continued the more Hank stroked and massaged and  _ fucked.  _ Connor opened his mouth to try and speak as Hank took him into his mouth, sucking hard on the android’s dick as it bobbed erratically with each thrust of Hank’s fingers. 

The moment Connor felt Hank’s lip envelop him, a heavy coil of energy erupted in his stomach; like a song too far away to hear the words. As Hank hollowed his cheeks and sucked whilst pressing his fingers in once more, the song rushed forward; attacking Connor with ferocity before he fell. Falling as the blinding light of euphoria stole the use of all but one of his components. The android was screaming, the pitch sporadically breaking normal levels of human hearing as his entire body seized and his consciousness faded to black. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was warm. So so  _ warm _ . Why was Connor warm? He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate, remaining tightly closed as if they acquired their own sentience and were keeping Connor away from a secret. The android winced but forced one eye to give; regretting the decision as sunlight battered his optical components, his head swam with the heady aftereffects of too much alcohol. 

Connor had a hangover.

It didn’t explain why he was warm though. Or why he was in a bed he didn’t recognise,  _ at first.  _ Slowly small details fit into his addled mind and he was surprised to find he was in the Lieutenant's bedroom. His eyebrows creased in confusion as he shuffled back, bumping into a warm body behind him. A warm  _ human  _ body. Connor froze and peered to his side, eyes widening at the sleeping face of his partner,  _ and  _ superior officer. 

Playbacks of memories rushed into his vision of the night before. He gaped wide eyed as the footage played in a fast loop, showing him everything he did the night before. The numerous drinks, the flirting, the proposition, his partner with his mouth around his- 

Connor cut off the memory, too shocked to comprehend that he and Hank had  _ done  _ things together. The android took momentary solace that he had no memories of actual penetrative intercourse until his notification system flagged a twelve-second period of lost function. No visual or audio footage. He played the last ten seconds of the previous memory file and could feel the memory of his first orgasm before his system shut down from overstimulation.

Time stood still as Connor wracked his brain for ways to deal with this. This was a  _ mistake;  _ Hank didn’t want him. If anything Connor felt terrible that he took advantage of his partner whilst he was drunk. The android was responsible; he could have turned off his tolerance settings and dealt with the situation, but he didn’t. He felt guilty. 

Connor sat up in the bed with a wince, moving gingerly in an effort to not wake Hank. Connor wanted to leave completely but he wasn’t going to do that; they could just ignore it. Forget it ever happened and move on. The android scanned the room for something to wear; opting for his clothes over a borrowed t-shirt from Hank, realising that wouldn’t help the situation. 

He dressed quickly and made his way to the living room, patting Sumo as the dog whined about his breakfast being late. As Connor poured kibble into the greedy dog's food bowl a notification popped in his vision.

_ RK800 #313 248 317 - 51 //  _ MEMORY FILE RECOVERED

OPEN FILE? Y/N

Y

_ DECRYPTING FILE… _

_ MEMORY #03132039 - 24:43; _

_ ~ _

_ “Con?  _ Shit-  _ Con, are you okay?” Hank panicked as he shook one of Connor’s legs he was still laid between, “Jesus, fuck- please be okay.” _

_ Connor blinked as his system rebooted, his simulated breathing wracking his body as he felt the blissful aftereffects of his first orgasm still there is his chassis. “Fuck,” he panted the word as his systems slowly caught up. _

_ Hank’s tightly coiled body sagged in relief as he climbed up Connor’s body, cradling the android’s face in his hands as he attempted to even out his heart rate, “Holy shit Con, what the fuck happened.” _

_ The android giggled, “You made me pass out, I guess,” He snuggled into the human’s warmth, very aware of the still erect cock pressing into his side, “I didn’t expect it to feel like that, it was too much so my systems did an emergency reboot.” _

_ “Although you scared the shit out of me, I can’t say that I’m not proud of that.” Hank beamed, the smug smile clearly showing that he was  _ very  _ proud he made Connor pass out. _

_ The android raised an eyebrow at the human, and after quickly making sure his systems had returned to full functionality he swiftly pushed his partner to the bed, swinging his leg up to straddle the man.  _

_ Hank reeled at the sudden change in position, but he salivated at the sight of a very naked Connor on top of him, “I thought I killed you not long ago and now you’re expecting to ride me?” _

_ Connor nodded his head, “Well, you did such a good job preparing me for your big cock, it’d be a shame to waste it.”  _

~

Connor sat at the table in the kitchen and watched the memory in scandalised horror, shocked that he talked like that; to his partner no less. Mortified, he watched as the rest of the memory played, showing that they had indeed had sex. Very… vigorous and needy  _ sex  _ that ended with Connor’s second orgasm of his life.  _ Great.  _ The android could still feel how stretched he felt as he was being impaled by his superior officer’s coc-  _ Stop that.  _ He chastised himself, this was a mistake. 

He hoped Hank wouldn’t hate him for it, and they could just forget it ever happened. Even though the guilt was still heavy in the forefront of his mind, the android struggled with the small sliver of happiness he felt that he had got to experience this with the man he’d been pining for, even if it was under false pretences and the human didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

He didn’t, did he? Of course Hank didn’t have any feelings for Connor; not romantically anyway. The activities from the previous night surely meant different things for each party; Connor selfishly acted on one-sided feelings, and Hank had acted on…  _ well _ , the android couldn’t answer that one. The most likely reason being that Connor was practically throwing himself at the man and the human was already compromised with drink.

Connor groaned at the situation he landed himself in; almost regretting his upgrade since it was the reason he was in this mess. He sighed and shook his head, wincing as the apparent hangover made itself known. The android leaned forward, resting his head on the table. 

_ Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.  _ Connor chanted under his breath, hitting his head softly against the hardwood. He flinched when he heard the unmistakable click of a door opening alongside the shuffling of feet, as well as irate muttering until it was masked by what he assumed was the bathroom door; the sound of a shower confirmed his theory.

Sumo was finishing his breakfast as the persistent thuds continued and he canted his head at Connor before wrestling his huge mass under the table, knocking chairs away with his hips as he rested his big head on the android’s lap. Connor smiled against the wood, his hands stroking the St Bernard’s fur as if it was the only thing that could make him feel better. 

“You’re such a good boy,” Connor praised, barely above a whisper so he didn’t aggravate his pounding head, “I fucked up so bad.” 

He was too engrossed in fending off his hangover whilst groaning in self-pity to hear the shower shut off, or the sound of the bathroom door opening and slamming shut. The only reason he knew he was no longer alone was that someone cleared their throat, making the android jump.

“Feelin’ a bit rough?” Hank asked, voice calm and idle. Was he  _ really _ ignoring what had happened? 

Connor groaned again, the sound making Hank blush as inappropriate memories resurfaced, “I’m never drinking again.”

_ That old chestnut,  _ “Uh-huh, whatever you say.” The human moved further into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee, using the task to try and calm himself down. 

When Hank woke up he was almost glad Connor hadn’t stuck around; waking up in bed alone wasn’t something he was unfamiliar with and if that had been the case, they could have easily carried on with their lives as if nothing had happened. But now? Seeing the android sitting at his table? Now they had to  _ talk.  _ At least talk enough to agree that this was a one-time thing and would never happen again. 

_ But what if I want it to happen again?  _ The irrational part of Hank’s brain spoke, and he shook his head to drive that errant thought to the recesses of his mind. It didn’t matter what he wanted, it was all about Connor and he fucked up everything by  _ fucking  _ him. The human felt guilty that the android’s first time was while he was drunk,  _ with him _ ; a washed-up Lieutenant who was suffering from depression and a high dependence on alcohol. And would the android want someone like him for a second-round whilst sober?  _ Un-fucking-likely. _

The beep of the coffee machine broke his thoughts and he mindlessly filled his cup, peeking at the android for a moment before he grabbed a second one. Connor could drink now, right? So maybe coffee could make him feel better? Hank shrugged to himself and sat across from the android who was still face down on the table, placing the hot cup on the wood and pushing it towards the android in a gesture akin to a peace offering. 

“So, whoever came up with this upgrade so you can drink has gotta be a sadist; why else would they make it so you can have hangovers.” Hank snorted as he brought his cup to his lips, blowing away the steam before taking a sip whilst ignoring the urge to add a shot of whisky or rum.

The android lifted his head and eyed the coffee cup suspiciously before he slipped his fingers around it, sighing as the warmth spread through his fingers, “I happen to agree.”

Connor's voice was small, and Hank was sure he could hear the regret when he talked. The human sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face, “Y’know kid, people do some stupid shit when they’re drunk. Shit, they know they shouldn’t do and come to regret later.”

_ This was the right thing to do.  _ Hank thought to himself; indirectly bring up the elephant in the room and heavily suggest that they remember it for what it was and move on, forget it ever happened. The human knew that wasn't what he wanted, but it was for his partner’s sake; the kid looked  _ distraught _ .

“I… um…  _ yeah _ .” Connor managed to stutter; Hank didn’t  _ hate  _ him? 

“Sometimes, it’s something you just need to move past and forget it happened.”  _ You’re full of shit, Hank,  _ his mind offered…  _ Gee thanks. _

“Uh, yeah. That’s pretty good advice...  _ Thanks, _ Hank.” Connor relaxed as he ignored the pang of…  _ something  _ in his chest. All he knew was that the feeling was negative.

The corner of Hank’s mouth curved in a sad smile, “Don’t mention it, kid.” He patted the android’s shoulder affectionately before moving towards the fridge in search of some bacon to soak up the worse of his hangover, “Hey, I was thinking; Can’t you just turn your hangover off?”

“I could,” Connor muttered as he took his first-ever sip of coffee, finding the taste to be bitter but just the right amount to help for his banging head, “but if I did that I wouldn’t learn anything.”


	4. Chapter 4

Unfortunately for the partners, forgetting about what happened was much easier said than done. The week that followed had a strenuous tension that would follow them both and would increase in intensity when the two would be in the same breathing space. The initial plan to keep what happened between just the two of them was impossible when they could barely say a word to each other without blushing, although  _ thankfully _ things began to return to normal at the end of the week. _ Too little too late. _

Before they knew it, the rumour of the partners ‘ _ banging’ _ \- as he heard Officer Chen so elegantly put it - had made its rounds throughout the precinct to the point where people were taking bets on whether it happened or not. Gavin made off-hand comments on the subject, declaring it only a possibility since the android was drunk; most likely bitter that Connor rejected him. They never addressed it, however, both happy to keep their colleagues in the dark until they either forgot or some new office gossip took over. 

Although things were returning to normal, Hank’s active imagination made things difficult for him. It would’ve been easier if they weren’t partners, spending the entirety of their work hours in each other’s presence which also bled into their free time. The memories just wouldn’t  _ stop.  _ Hank always prided himself on being able to forget about something if he tried hard enough, but he just couldn’t do it; couldn’t forget about his greedy android twink of a partner who, not even a week ago, was bouncing up and down on his co-

“ _ Hank. Connor. Office. _ ” Fowler shouted, turning back to his desk without waiting for a reply.

The Lieutenant blushed as he caught himself going down the rabbit hole of reliving the memory. Too late now, it was already burned into the forefront of his mind, and he had to give himself a moment so he wouldn’t have to walk awkwardly with the stirrings of a boner. 

Connor noticed the spike in Hank’s heart rate but was too busy trying to calm his thirium pump. He wasn’t an idiot. He heard the rumours around the office, and now Fowler was shouting them both in. It was too much of a coincidence. Could he be suspended? Lose his job? Could  _ Hank?  _ These were the questions that repeated in his mind as he made his way to the Captain’s office, his exterior appearance hiding the torrent of panic he felt inside.

Hank entered the office wearing a similar ‘ _ oh shit’  _ expression to Connor, and closed the glass doors as Fowler began speaking, “So, this is a delicate matter. Something which I thought would be better discussed just between the two of you.”

The Captain’s face looked grim as he pulled out what seemed to be a letter from a manila folder, encased in an evidence bag. He placed it on his desk and turned it towards the partners before placing down another evidence bag containing pictures _ …  _ of  _ Connor? _

“What the fuck is this, Jeffrey?” Hank demanded looking at them; each image was taken at a distance as if the photographer was tailing the android.

Connor walking to the grocery store. Connor walking into the precinct. Connor walking to the bar. 

“We received the parcel this morning. No return address. All it contained was this letter and the photos,” The weathered Captain sighed, looking more tired than usual, “I have reason to believe Connor has a stalker.”

This… wasn’t the conversation Connor had expected. The android fully expected this to be a disciplinary meeting, but  _ no. _ He had a stalker? Connor stared at Fowler with his mouth open in shock, hoping that he was joking, and the stern Captain was going to shout psych and slap him on the wrist for fraternization.  _ Like that was going to happen.  _

“Why was this sent to the office and not Connor himself?” Hank thought out loud, not really expecting an answer.

“It  _ was  _ addressed to Connor, it got caught up in another officer’s mail and they opened it without realising.”

Hank cleared his throat, nodding his head as he read the letter. The stalker was clearly infatuated as they detailed very graphic fantasies that involved Connor, including the explanation of each picture included. Hank understood as Connor’s partner and superior officer why he was brought into this meeting, but he couldn’t understand why the Captain was looking at him with the same amount of concern until he read the last part of the letter.

_ I don’t know who  _ he _ is, the one that’s always with you. He annoys me, constantly there so I can’t approach you. I can’t bear to look at him when he’s so close to what’s mine. It’s okay though. It will all be okay when he’s out of the way. Then we can be together, Connor. Just you and me. Forever. _

“Uhh, well. That’s a threat to  _ me  _ if I ever saw one.” Hank mused, attempting to use humour to hide his worry. 

Connor was looking through the photographs and sighed, “The pictures you’re in, Lieutenant, have your face scratched out.” 

“You can see why I’m taking this so seriously,” Fowler explained, his usually stoic face pinched slightly with concern, “Where are you staying currently, Connor? It’d be wise to not be alone until this guy has been caught.” 

The android opened his mouth to answer but it was Hank who spoke first, “He’s staying with me,” the Lieutenant knew it was a bad idea, but there wasn’t a chance he was going to let his partner out of his sight, “I mean, he wasn’t but he is now.”

Connor could feel the blush before it showed on his face, quickly turning the feature off before the humans saw it, “I… Um, I could stay with Markus if it would be any trouble, but I would feel safer with you, Hank.”

_ He feels safe with me.  _ Hank’s mind repeated to him like a love-drunk teenager. The human smiled at his partner, clasping a hand on his shoulder and giving it an affectionate squeeze, “Then it’s settled, where do we go from here?”

“We need to have these analysed, I was hoping Connor would do so when he feels up to it considering the labs would take longer and he can do it real-time. We then build a case, and then we carry on as normal while keeping a close eye on the both of you; which leads me to the next part of this meeting,” Fowler opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a different manila folder, “Meet our newest hire, he starts on Monday.”

Connor stared at the Captain as he took the folder, opening it and seeing a very familiar face staring back.  _ It was his face.  _ Well…  _ almost.  _ At first, the detective assumed it was another RK800 android who had moved back to Detroit and wanted to pursue the career they were created for, but no. This android was different. Like Connor, but  _ not  _ Connor. 

He scanned the file to find the android’s name but the box allocated for such details was empty, the only written information in the file was found in the notes section; explaining the android was an RK900 model, recently deviated and still searching for a name he was happy with since he had the freedom to choose. Connor admired that. He thanked the Captain and exited the office with the promise of reporting back after he’d conducted testing on the evidence.

The partners entered the breakroom; each taking a seat as they scoured files during their lunch break. Connor had grown to enjoy tea now he was able to consume the beverage and could appreciate the British stereotype of using it as a means of comfort. Broken heart?  _ Tea.  _ Rough day at work?  _ Tea.  _ Find out you have a stalker that has threatened your partner? Well…  _ Tea?  _ He casually sipped at the hot drink, noticing how the burn of the hot liquid pinched every now and then until the cup sat forgotten on the table he was sitting at in favour of the file of the new hire. 

“So, this new guy. If we were to talk about it in human terms, he’s technically your brother, right?” Hank questioned, gesturing to the employee file.

“Yes, so that would make him my…” Connor paused to count on his fingers, an act he technically didn’t have to do, “Ninth ‘brother’, tenth if you include Markus since he’s also part of the RK line.” 

The human’s eyebrows rose as he considered it, “Huh, that’d be a  _ fun  _ Thanksgiving I guess.” 

“I think we have different ideas of fun, Hank.” The android mused until he blushed at what that could imply, “And besides the other ‘Connor’ at Cyberlife, I haven’t officially met another android that looks like me. So meeting RK900 will be…  _ weird.” _

Connor blushed further at the memory of something else he mentioned being  _ weird,  _ casting his eyes downward for a moment before he dared to make eye contact with Hank. He noticed.  _ Shit. _

Hank coughed awkwardly into his hand, “Well, a lot of siblings do look alike, Con.” 

“I guess you’re right.” Connor sighed, leaning over the table to pick up his tea again that was probably cold.  _ It was _ .

He sighed and left the cup on the table, patting his jacket to find his coin. It was an action he’d carried through from his programming, however, it provided relief to keep his hands busy. He still used the coin tricks to carry out calibrations in an effort to refine his reflexes, but right now he just needed something to distract him from his thoughts.

Connor hummed in confusion as he found the pocket he usually kept the coin empty.  _ Not again.  _ He sighed and began tapping his fingers on the table, drumming out a tune. 

“You’ve only just started and it’s already pissing me off. Where the hell is your coin?” Hank groused; he had been twirling a pen between his fingers as the tapping began.

“I lost it.” The android pouted, waiting for the inevitable grumble from his partner. Coins weren’t exactly very common anymore with the use of contactless payments, so when he lost a coin he felt like he was losing far more than just money.

Hank rolled his eyes as he fixed Connor with a pointed look. “Lucky for you I have a couple.” He reached into his shirt pocket and flicked the coin.

Connor caught it effortlessly, but he wasn’t too focused on the coin flipping in the air to ignore the unmistakable jingle of coins and Hank moved back in his seat. 

“Hank, how many coins do you have?” The android questioned; it definitely wasn’t a couple.

What he didn’t expect was the Lieutenant to blush, profusely. “I… uh.” He coughed into his fist before he began to rub his neck, “I maybe have more than a couple.”

The android nodded his head in the direction of the pocket, clearly asking wordlessly for his partner to show him. Reluctantly, Hank emptied his pocket and showed a dozen coins in his palm.

“I may have started a collection since you keep losing them,” Hank admitted, avoiding Connor’s soft facial expression.

“ _ Hank…”  _ Connor breathed, voice filled with emotion at the kind gesture, he felt his skin itch with his own blush although he knew the pigment would show since he turned it off. He made the decision to turn it on so his partner could know how it had affected him. “That is really sweet, thank you.”

The Lieutenant coughed into his fist again before he pocketed the handful of coins, patted his shirt as if to ensure they were there and safe. The air had shifted in the breakroom slightly and the partners chose to allow it to bask in the tender moment rather than spoil it with needless words. There was something there, clearly, neither wanted to admit it.

The comfortable silence, aside from the occasional click of a coin, continued for a while before Hank found it to be stifling. He finished scribbling some notes on a pad before he cleared his throat to break the quiet, “You know, you’re usually the one talking my ear off and you’ve not said a word about this threat; how are ya holding up?”

_ That’s a good question,  _ Connor thought to himself. How was he holding up? How was a person meant to react to finding out that the past couple months of your life you were being followed by someone? And that  _ someone  _ had indirectly threatened your partner who you happened to lo-  _ nope,  _ not that. The android quickly stamped on that train of thought.

“I don’t really know,” Connor answered honestly as he stood to get more tea, “How are you meant to feel after finding out you’ve got a stalker who has it out for your partner?”

“ _ True…  _ I don’t even know how to deal with this shit.” Hank brushed his hand over his face. He looked  _ tired. _ Connor’s thirium pump clenched in guilt. That was  _ his _ fault. “Let’s look at the case files again, maybe there’s something we missed?” The Lieutenant patted the manila folder as he looked imploringly at the android.

Connor sighed heavily, “Sure, why not. Would you like some tea since I’m making some for myself-  _ Ow!”  _

The break room was silent as Hank’s shock dissipated, “Um…  _ Con.  _ Did you just say ‘ow’?” 

“Huh, I did.” Connor cocked his head to the side whilst staring at the tea kettle, glaring daggers at the machine that hurt him.

“Wait, Con _.  _ Did you actually just burn yourself? You felt pain?” Hank stood, the manilla folder now forgotten on the table as he approached his partner, “Goddamnit, another reason for me to fucking worry about you.” 

The android blushed as Hank grabbed his hand and he saw the gentle blue mark with a clear demarcation line where the hot water had spilt. The human sighed and turned on the cold water tap to let the cooling liquid run over the burn. 

“Oh, Lieutenant; that won’t be neces-,” Connor began to explain but cut himself off, realising the water was actually soothing the pain in his hand.

“You’re taking the fact that you can feel pain much better than I expected, Con.” 

“This…  _ isn’t  _ the first time it’s happened,” Connor explained looking sheepish, “The other times were minor, so it was easier to ignore.”

Hank shook his head in disbelief, “Con, what if you got shot and the pain was too much for you to do anything?”

The android blushed again as he realised Hank was right, “I didn’t think of that, but I can’t really say that it was the same as what you’d consider pain. This is the worst it’s felt, and this only made the sensor reboot in my hand, it’s not that bad.” Connor reasoned, trying to put his superior at ease.

The look of horror on Hank’s face told him he wasn’t successful, “That sounds  _ fucking  _ horrible, kid. It hurt your hand that much your ability to feel turned off.”

Connor huffed and childishly flailed his arms in exasperation, splashing water everywhere, “It’s not bad, Hank. I promise,” He shoved the injured hand in Hank’s face, flicking droplets of water as he did, “ _ See _ , no more mark. I’m fi _ -Ow! _ ”

Hank pinched Connor’s arm again as if to prove a point, eliciting another shocked sound from the android. “Be honest with me; your hand still hurts doesn’t it?” The android nodded and pouted, “We’ll look into this more, Con. We’re not idiots, but we’ve got more pressing matters.” 

The human jerked his head towards the forgotten manilla folder containing the evidence on Connor’s stalker and smiled tight-lipped. He knew the android was stalling and sighed as he ruffled his hair, freezing halfway through the familiar gesture and realising too late the closeness between him and his partner. 

Connor was staring at him with wide eyes and the Lieutenant stepped back, clearing his throat, “You go sit and stay away from anything hot or sharp. I’ll make the tea and we can get started.”


	5. Chapter 5

Connor was grateful for the distraction of the new hire and case whilst he was staying with Hank. It wasn’t that the android had never stayed over at his partner’s house; he had on numerous occasions, but that was _before._ Fortunately, enough time had passed for the awkwardness to almost be non-existent and the pair settled into a comfortable routine.

Saturday started with a heavy downpour and Connor sighed as he stared at the barren fridge; hoping the contents would change the longer he glared at it. Hank was still asleep, and Connor found it difficult to stay in stasis now they had a case. _He needed to find the stalker and protect Hank._

The android’s objective list popped up in the corner of his vision and he smirked, it’s new purpose more of a to-do list and the first task his systems created was simply _Protect Hank._ Connor had to worry for Hank’s safety since he was an android he knew that his life wasn’t as… _squishy_ as a human was.

He let out a huff as he watched the rainfall from the living room window and called to the sleeping pile of fur in the corner of the room, asking the dog if he wanted a walk. A quick stroll to the store would be fine, right? There and back within thirty minutes; Hank wouldn’t know he even went out. _Well-_ that would be until he saw _and_ smelled Sumo. There’s no denying the scent of wet dog.

The promise of walkies and splashes in muddy puddles was enough to rouse the hulking St. Bernard from his sleep and he was soon dancing between his front two paws, staring at his lead expectantly with his tongue lolling to the side. The piercing gaze of puppy eyes spurred Connor into action and he shrugged on Hank’s raincoat. He wouldn’t mind, and if the Lieutenant was to wake whilst he was out, it was obvious where the android had disappeared to.

The journey to the store was uneventful, the highlight of the trip being an elderly woman who fussed over Sumo and talked to Connor as an equal; although he was certain she didn’t see his LED as it was hidden by the hood of Hank’s jacket and chalked the friendliness up to that. 

Connor approached the store and halted to tie the St. Bernard outside under the protection of an awning, patting the dog on his head and muttering for him to be good whilst he was gone. The android stood to full height and felt a strange feeling caress the nape of his neck, like a burst of energy trailing from the base of his skull and settling in his gut. It wasn’t a good feeling. It felt like his systems were warning him of something. 

He shrugged off the ominous feeling and made his way into the store, consciously surveying the interior for any signs of a threat as he quickly grabbed what he needed and paid, securing the fabric grocery bag over his shoulder as he untied Sumo to make his way home.

Not three purposeful strides later, Connor felt himself being bodily pulled from the street into an alleyway, a cold unyielding palm pressed against his mouth as Sumo growled at the assailant, cowering with confusion when the attacker shuffled to show his face.

“You’re being followed.” The ‘attacker’ muttered as Connor seized struggling in their arms. _That voice…_

Connor shrugged the hand off his mouth and turned to face whoever attacked him, shocked when his own face greeted him. Well, _kind of._ The piercing grey eyes that were barely two inches higher than his own shocked him into speechlessness.

“You’re RK900,” Connor muttered when he found his voice, tugging on Sumo’s lead to bring the dog closer. The calming presence of the animal acted as a soothing balm to the erratic beating of his thirium pump.

The other android nodded as he grimaced, “I am, although I hope to find a suitable name by the time I start working at the DPD.” 

“Well you’re a dick, I almost had a heart attack,” Connor spat, “Wait, I’m being followed?” 

“ _Was_ \- I am certain the android who was following you has seized their activity after seeing me with you,” RK900 cocked his head, a gesture that screamed similarity to Connor, “Also, I’m unsure how I am comparable to the male reproductive organ, but I apologise for causing you any distress.”

“I’m sorry- _Android?_ An _android_ was following me?” Connor baulked, shocked that the evidence hadn’t led to that discovery yet. 

“Yes, although I was unable to scan any of their information; their face was obscured.” RK900 hardened his gaze at Connor as if he was about to scold him, “May I ask why you’re alone when there is an active stalker threatening your safety?”

Connor blinked owlishly at the other android, shocked that they had a visual on the stalker; or at least an accomplice, but also that RK900 was right. Taking unnecessary risks like this wasn’t usually his way of operating, and he barely gave the threat a second thought since it was such a short trip. The fact that Sumo was with him didn’t really help matters, the dog wasn’t exactly the bravest or most threatening animal; despite his intimidating size. 

“ _Shit,”_ Connor muttered as he readjusted the bag on his shoulder.

“I understand the situation will take time to get used to, but whilst the case is still active you need to be accompanied wherever you go. The same goes for Lieutenant Anderson.”

Connor muttered _shit_ under his breath once more as the other android continued to make sense and bring up valid point after valid point. “I need to get home.” He mumbled, gesturing in the vague direction of Hank’s house.

“I’d be happy to escort you, Connor. There’s strength in numbers.” The other android smiled tight-lipped as he gestured for the two to walk.

“Sorry,” Connor started, making RK900 pause; suggesting he’d never heard the word directed to him before, “I mean, for being an idiot and calling you a dick. You didn’t deserve that. Even if you scared the shit out of me.”

RK900 smirked, waving off the need for an apology, “I have read Lieutenant Anderson’s employee file to familiarise myself with the people I’ll be working with. It’s clear the human has had an impact on your immersion into human life. You have some very colourful language and interesting analogies.”

Connor could feel the blush warming his cheeks before he had the chance to stop it. RK900 gave him a curious glance at the reaction and made to say something before Connor cut him off, already knowing what the other android would assume with his reaction. Connor started walking in the direction of Hank’s house and gestured for RK900 to follow, unsure how he’d explain the blue tint on his face caused by the sheer mention of his superior officer’s name. 

Thankfully the walk back to Hank’s went just as uneventful as the trip to the store, ignoring the moment he was unwillingly dragged into an alleyway by his ‘brother’. The rain had subsided and provided enough puddles for Sumo to splash in to make him reasonably drenched by the time they approached the front door. 

As Connor reached out to the handle, the door moved; yanked open to reveal a panicked human on the other side.

“Connor, where the fuck was you?” Hank breathed in relief, already halfway to hugging the android before he knew what he was doing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would be a problem. You needed food and Sumo needed a walk.” Connor rushed as his systems caught up with themselves. Processing multiple things at once. 

Hank’s heart rate was elevated. Hank was concerned. Hank was _hugging_ him. Hugging him in broad daylight in front of company without a care in the world. 

Hank jumped as he felt Connor’s hand press into his back reassuringly, stepping away from the embrace as if realising what he was doing just at that moment, “You fucking idiot, you can’t just go around on your own at the moment.”

Connor smirked as he stepped into the house, gesturing for RK900 to follow, “Yes, I’ve already been reprimanded, don’t worry. This is RK900, he saw me as I was leaving the store, I… I was being followed.” 

“You what!?” Hank shouted, bypassing a greeting for the time being.

“I have footage of the stalker, Lieutenant Anderson. I’d be happy to share it with you as I wait for my cab to arrive.” RK900 announced as a means to calm the situation.

“Uh… yeah, sure. Sorry, Nice to meet you RK900- _fuck_ that’s a mouthful.” Hank offered his hand to shake as he struggled being tongue-tied.

“Likewise, Lieutenant. And I do agree.” RK900 smiled.

Hank’s eyes flicked between the two men in his living room, muttering something about _fucking androids_ as he collapsed on his couch, “Okay, Connor you were right, this is fucking weird. You guys are like twins but creepier.” 

“Don’t be too concerned, Lieutenant. I assure you we won’t be walking in tandem and asking you to come and play with us any time soon.” RK900 tried to be reassuring using a movie reference Hank would understand, and it would’ve worked if the human didn’t have a filthy mind. 

Hank snorted and willed the heat in his face to simmer down; glancing at RK900 who was fixing him with a knowing look that flicked between the Lieutenant and Connor. The human’s mouth dropped in shock before he could backtrack, and it was plastered on his face where his mind went with that comment. 

“ _Fucking dick,”_ Hank muttered just loud enough for the android to hear.

RK900 scowled, “There seems to be a recurring theme here; this is the second time in less than an hour that I have been referred to as a phallus.” 


	6. Chapter 6

The footage RK900 supplied turned out to be a decent break in the case. They had the android’s height, build, and part of their face; although it wasn’t enough to run any analysis. Reviewing the footage eventually ended up creating more questions than answers; the android’s body language made its movements seem… _off._ Far too mechanical for a deviated android. And it was clear the android was purposely covering part of its face for unknown reasons. Why partially obscure your face when it can be covered with a mask?

Connor had a niggling feeling of recognition when he saw the footage of the android, but he couldn’t place it; it was impossible to use facial recognition when half their face was covered _._

The partners tried to build a profile on the suspect long after RK900 left and found their weekend was being spent trying to pin the stalker; hours upon hours spent exhausting all avenues in an attempt to at least identify the android. 

Evening bled into the night and Connor found himself lagging, his systems desperate for stasis so it could run diagnostics and software updates. Hank had already succumbed to sleep at the side of him on the couch, and the android could slowly feel the decreasing function of his components. The paperwork he was holding soon fell to his lap, and his head fell back onto the couch, landing on Hank’s outstretched arm. Connor didn’t want to admit it, but it felt good; good to fall into stasis rather than initiate it, and _good_ to sleep in Hank’s arms again.

Unseasonable rays of sunshine filtered through the open curtains of the living room, hitting Hank directly in the face and startling him awake. He tilted his head to escape but his neck and back twinged in protest.

 _Serves me right._ He mentally chastised himself, grumbling as his limbs refused to cooperate. 

The Lieutenant tensed his arm and felt a heavy weight at his side. Confused as to how and why Sumo was practically in his lap, he turned to push the dog off him but stilled when he saw the curly brunette hair of his partner is his peripheral vision. 

Connor had tucked himself into Hank’s side, his lips parted as he slept with his knee resting on the older man’s thigh, paperwork still in his lap. Hank tried to move but it was useless; Connor awake wasn’t exactly light, so whilst in stasis, the android was practically a dead weight. 

Hank was happy being a glorified mattress for the moment, aware that he was able to just wake the android and get the awkwardness over and done with but… he didn’t _want_ to. The human wasn’t going to lie to himself and say that he didn’t regret how he had handled the whole ‘sleeping with your partner whilst drunk’ situation. He had thought he was doing the right thing by giving the android a pass but now? Now he was _pining_ ; pining for something he couldn’t have. 

So why not enjoy the little things like waking up to the object of your affection sleeping in your arms?

It was strange watching Connor sleep, he looked human but little details were off. He didn’t have the need to simulate breathing, didn’t twitch or shuffle. The android was practically suspended in time; like someone had pressed pause and he was just waiting for someone to press play again. Hank couldn’t help himself from brushing Connor’s cheek with his thumb, shocked by how much the drunken night had masked his memory of the softness.

The synth-skin was so incredibly realistic it was hard to think of Connor as anything other than human, but it was a disservice to make him out to be something he wasn’t. Even if the android wanted nothing more than to be as human as possible, Hank loved him as he was. To him, Connor was _perfect;_ thirium, biocomponents, and all. 

Hank’s thumb that was still caressing the android’s cheek stilled as his mind caught up with that fleeting thought; one he had been running from for a long time. _Did_ he love Connor? Not in a platonic way, but in a romantic ‘go on dates, cuddle on the couch, and share admissions of their love for one another’ way? 

If Hank wasn’t addled with the lasting effects of sleep fogging his mind he’d be panicking, but he found himself enjoying the glow of his realisation and the comforting weight of his partner at his side. His arm was numb, and he moved it slowly to allow blood to recirculate, although he didn’t expect the sudden rush of painful pinching shooting up and down his arm. The human winced and bit his lip to contain the pained sob and managed to pull through. 

He glanced at the clock and realised it was time to get ready to go to the station. Hank told himself he’d allow a few more minutes of this unexpected closeness with Connor, but Sumo had heard Hank’s clipped gasps of agony and ambled through the partners’ entwined legs, settling in front of Hank with his head resting on the human’s thigh. It was still impossible to move between the android and the dog, and now the tell-tale urge to use the bathroom was creeping in. Hank hoped Connor would wake on his own, but the poor kid looked _exhausted._

The Lieutenant raised his hand to the android’s cheek once more, and patted, “Hey, kid. Time to get up and you’re kinda pinning me to the couch.”

Connor’s systems seemed to boot up instantly, but he didn’t reply verbally; he just snuggled in closer and with his mouth agape. Hank couldn’t help snorting at the undoubtedly human action and wrapped the arm trapped beneath the android around his shoulder, jostling him.

“What time is it?” Connor asked mid-yawn, his eyes half-lidded; voice thick and low with a slight edge to suggest his systems weren’t quite _awake_ yet.

“We need to leave in half an hour to get to the precinct in time,” Hank answered, mindlessly rubbing his thumb against Connor’s arm.

“Oh, that’s not too bad. Um... _Hank_ \- I’m hugging you,” The android stated, seemingly to confirm he was awake and not in his mind palace, “It’s nice.”

Connor didn’t move for a while after waking, and the partners silently enjoyed each other’s company until the elephant in the room became too obvious to ignore. The android placed an unsure hand on his partner’s chest - above his heart - and sighed before pushing himself upright from the embrace.

Sumo moved quickly, giddy that his favourite people were moving, which meant it was time to pee, have food, and _finally_ sprawl out on the previously occupied sofa.

The partners found themselves in the precinct ten minutes before the start of the shift, although it didn’t stop Fowler from calling them both into his office the second they stepped foot into the bullpen.

“Come on Jeffrey, I haven’t even had my damn coffee yet. This couldn’t wait ten minutes?” Hank complained.

“ _Insubordination,”_ Fowler stated, enunciating each syllable as he tried to hide a smile. 

The Lieutenant snorted, “Insubordination, _my ass._ I’m here, aren’t I?” Hank dumped himself into one of the two chairs and gestured for the Captain to get on with it.

“I was hoping for your advice, actually,” Fowler explained, much to the shock of Hank. “From both of you.”

Connor paused halfway as he sat in the spare chair next to Hank, “You want my advice?”

“Of course, you’re just as much a member of this precinct. And I think your advice here would be very appropriate.” The Captain shuffled papers as he made sure he had both their attention, “You are aware that we have RK900 starting today but are yet to assign him to a partner. I wanted to ask your opinions on who that should be.”

Hank eyed the Captain suspiciously, unsure why his advice was needed to choose between the only two detectives that didn’t have partners, “Ben’s a nice guy but stuck in his ways, and Gavin’s an asshole.” 

“Does that mean Reed wouldn’t be a good match?” Fowler asked, seemingly genuinely interested, “I would hope his attitude towards androids has changed in recent months, but I don’t want reports from HR if he can’t take this seriously.”

Connor chewed his lip, considering both detectives, “I believe Gavin would be a well-suited partner for RK900. As I informed you, Captain, we had the pleasure of meeting our newest detective over the weekend, and I find his… _personality_ would fit Detective Reed perfectly.”

“Con’s saying RK900 is a dick, Jeffrey. He’s just being nice about it.”

Connor gaped at his partner before he blushed, but he wasn’t going to correct him if he was telling the truth. _Which he was_.

“Well, I guess that settles it. I’ll make him Reed’s partner; he’ll get over it eventually-”

 _“You fuckin’ dick! Do you think it’s okay to just walk into people? Ohh you’re a_ fucking _tin can! I shouldn’t be so surprised-”_

“Reed!” Fowler shouted from his office and the detective seized his berating immediately, watching as the Captain exited his office, “That’s no way to talk to a fellow detective, especially your partner.”

“M...my partner? You’re _joking_.” The detective deadpanned, he was too stunned to respond with his usual hostility, “Who’s idea was it to give me a tin can as a partner?”

Connor and Hank stepped into view, the former cheerfully waving to Reed as if to take responsibility, “Detective Reed, this is RK-”

“Richard,” RK900 interrupted, “If people plan to continue calling me a ‘ _dick’_ they might as well be correct.” 

Fowler patted the newest detective on his back whilst glaring daggers at Gavin, “Richard here is your assigned partner. Don’t treat him like shit; If you do, I'm sure he’ll be able to put you in your place.”

The Captain didn’t wait for a reply, he simply turned on his heel and marched back to his office, the resounding thud of the glass door closing marked the end of the conversation. Gavin scowled at the office door as if it was to blame for the situation and then at his new partner. 

Richard fixed him with an inquisitive look and scanned the length of his body, “It will be a pleasure working with you, Detective Reed. I hope your interest in my appearance won’t have a negative impact on how you work.” 

“Where the fuck do you get off saying shit like that?” Gavin growled at the android, stepping into an aggressive stance like a Chihuahua who’d forgotten its actual size as it tried to take on a Great Dane.

Richard lowered his gaze to the hostile detective who stood a good few inches shorter than him, “You’re showing signs of arousal. I would ask if I’m wrong, but I know I’m not.”

Gavin simply huffed in irritation and stalked towards the break room as Hank began to chuckle, “Well, he didn’t deny it, did he.”

“I think he made the right choice; he finds it way too easy to make an idiot out of himself; Richard will only make it worse.” Connor mused as he ushered the other android further into the bullpen, directing him to his desk which was near Detective Reed’s. 

Gavin was absent from his desk, for the time being, no doubt calming himself down in the men’s bathroom and licking the proverbial wounds inflicted on his ego. He showed up five minutes later with a more professional air about him and proceeded to show the new detective around the precinct and conduct his induction. It was an unexpected change in character, and it didn’t escape Hank or Connor’s notice. Maybe they _did_ make the right choice here? 


	7. Chapter 7

A week had passed with little headway made on the case. The typical Monday morning slowly crawled along, and as luck would have it, the partner’s received a break. A facial match had been made for the suspect, thanks to an android witness in another officer’s case. The android they were looking for was an AP700.  _ Figures;  _ of course, their suspect would be an android with multiple face models which was why they were so difficult to identify in the first place. Connor was in the process of reviewing case files as he was pinged in his HUD with an image file transfer. After verifying the sender he accepted the download and found it to contain the appearance of the witness. Connor’s facial recognition protocol flared to life as the file loaded, identifying the suspect in the case as one of the androids he deviated in Cyberlife tower.

The revelation was jarring for the android. He thought once they had a positive match for the identity that it would make his job easier, but if anything it made the android much harder to track. There were  _ thousands _ of this exact model type’s appearance that resided in Detroit alone, it would be impossible to find their suspect purely from canvassing the area. 

Connor knew what this meant; even with the new information, the case would still be at a standstill. He gave Hank an uneasy look and the responding brisk shake of a head was enough to show his stance on the matter. The android knew it would be dangerous as they had no idea what the suspect was capable of, but Connor knew he wanted to catch him as soon as possible, to remove the risk they posed to himself and Hank. 

It was clear that they needed to go undercover, offer himself as ‘bait’ and have backup ready to pounce when the time was right. Logically it was a sound plan, but when emotions are involved it makes life difficult.

“Con, for the last time you’re not doing it.” Hank sighed, pressing his palms into his tired eyes. 

Connor hadn’t even asked, he’d just been staring imploringly at the man, “Lieutenant, please. I know from a professional standpoint you see the logic in what I’m suggesting. I’m perfectly capable of neutralizing any threat that the android poses, so I fail to understand why you won’t allow me to do this.”

Hank raised his gaze to Connor’s whose pinched expression looked forlorn, almost as if he thought that Hank didn’t believe in his abilities. It wasn’t that at all. The Lieutenant had been falling too quickly down the rabbit hole that was his feelings for Connor and he knew he was being stubborn because he didn’t want him to get hurt. He found that he was finding it easier to admit that the android had nestled his way into his heart and had made a home for himself. Before it was easier to reject the notion and pine after the unreachable; that was until that plan was thrown out the window and they had sex. Who would’ve guessed that after one night of the unthinkable happening, Hank would want  _ more _ ?

In retrospect, it was pretty stupid thinking the whole thing could be forgotten and things could go back to normal. Go back to  _ before.  _ Hank craved the impossible with an unwavering mindset, something he usually would never humour as he resigned himself to a lifetime of loneliness; filled with hard liquor, takeout, a job he was only occasionally good at, alongside the company of a large dog throughout the process.  _ Albeit great company.  _ He had been certain that was to be his future until Connor had shown up in his life, and the glass which encased his heart had fractured slightly when the android smiled at him and entirely  _ shattered _ when they slept together. 

Hank was filled with new purpose and vigour, and he wasn’t going to take any chances in losing this good in his life. Not even if it meant breaking the case which threatened both their safety.

“Please, Connor. I’m begging you, don’t push this.” The Lieutenant didn’t wait for a response as he rose from his desk and left the bullpen, making his way to the evidence room in an attempt to clear his head.

Moments after Hank had input his details into the computer to release the evidence they held for the case he heard the tell-tale sound of a door opening and closing, and then steps too even to be human followed after. 

“So now you’re following me when I clearly want to be alone, huh?” Hank asked without looking; Connor had an air about him that you just  _ knew  _ you were in his presence, or maybe the Lieutenant had become hyper-aware of the android and could just  _ tell  _ it was him.

“What are you so scared of, Hank?” Connor muttered, forgoing the use of his partner’s rank. The simple question seemed to hold more meaning than face value.

Hank sighed and exhaled a long breath, bracing himself on the centre console of the evidence room, “This isn’t easy for me. I’ve lost one too many people in my pathetic life, and I’d rather not add to it.”

Connor moved his mouth to speak but Hank raised his hand, indicating he wasn’t finished. “You and Sumo are the only aspects that make me even  _ bother  _ anymore; so why the hell would I allow one of my ‘good things’ go out into harm's way and get hurt; or even killed? When it’s in my power to stop things like that happening? You’re not replaceable anymore Connor, you can’t just upload your memory into another android. You’re as human as I am when it comes to mortality and I just can’t have that on my conscience.”

“Hank…” Connor said his name barely above a whisper, he was processing what his partner had said to him and could only come to one conclusion. Surely it didn’t mean what he thought, right? He could only hope.

“Just-“ Hank took a calming breath as he met Connor’s gaze with his own, easily seeing the confusion in the android’s eyes, “Please, just this once listen to me as your superior officer. I don’t want to pull rank, but I can’t lose you.”

The pair stood in silence as the admission rushed over them like cool water being poured over their heads; it wasn’t Hank admitting his love for Connor, but it was close. The Lieutenant knew at that moment that their relationship had taken a shift he hadn’t intended to ever act on, it was unfair to expect someone who had their entire life to discover to turn their back on it all and shack up with someone like himself. 

“ _ Hank,”  _ Connor breathed his name like it was a prayer, closing the space between them slowly as if approaching a startled animal, “It was pretty stupid thinking we could ignore what happened _ , _ right? Especially when there’s clearly a lot we need to talk about.” 

The android noted a spike in heart rate for his partner as he eventually closed the gap, raising his hand to the older man’s cheek in a gentle caress. He was close enough that the human was able to feel his simulated breath. 

“Connor I-“

The familiar click of the door rang out through the quiet as it cut off Hank. He didn’t know what he was actually going to say, it scared him when his mind offered those three words he thought he’d never say to another person again, but that was silly; even if it was true. 

Heavy footsteps grew louder, and the partners jumped apart, the moment was lost- at least for now. Luckily they had time to talk about what this thing between them was when they went home, standing in the middle of the evidence room wasn’t exactly the best place to bare it all. 

“Hello Lieutenant, Connor,” Richard nodded as he came into view, “I heard you had an idea on how to catch your perp and I’d like to help.”


	8. Chapter 8

A cold Thursday morning marked the start of their sting operation. Richard offered his services as doppelgänger and would dress in clothing similar to what Connor would wear to try and catch the stalker. The plan all rested on whether Connor was still being followed, but the area they had based the operation featured a lot in the photographs they were sent; they could only hope they were successful. 

The partners hadn’t had a chance to speak since their talk in the evidence room, and Connor hated the limbo he was living in as he didn’t know where they stood. Hank made it clear he had feelings; feelings which he maybe didn’t understand or want to address, but they were there nonetheless, and Connor had all but confirmed that he felt the same way. Surely two people who felt the same way about each other would make it official, right?  _ Apparently not.  _ Humans are weird and would prefer to make themselves hurt over making themselves happy. As the android gained more questions than answers in regards to the status of his relationship with his partner, he found himself experiencing more human emotions which he couldn’t initially place. 

Time progressed slowly for the group that morning. The need for a briefing was a requirement of the precinct for stakeouts, but all it did was place Connor and Hank on edge; and no doubt Richard who had seemingly inserted himself into Connor’s life as a pseudo brotherly figure. With the briefing complete, the operation was underway as the clock ticked over past 8 am; the time which most of the photographs were taken at. Connor and Hank stared at each other awkwardly in the DPD car park whilst they waited for the others to join them, hoping that each other got the message to stay safe.

Hank swore under his breath before he closed the space between him and his partner, taking the android within his arms whilst huffing out a frustrated breath. He muttered something which Connor didn’t quite catch as he was too preoccupied being encased in an overbearing hug. 

“You hear me Con? Stay safe, we gotta catch this dude so we can-” 

“Hey, trashcan, you ready?” Gavin shouted out, forcing the partners to break apart. 

“I promise, Lieutenant. Only if you promise to do the same,” The android answered, squeezing his partner’s arm affectionately before answering Reed, “Sure, where’s Richard?” 

“I’m here.” The other android answered, moving into view where Connor and Hank could see him.

There was a  _ subtle  _ difference between the androids, though it was barely noticeable from a distance. The resemblance was uncanny, and Hank had to do a double-take. It was bad enough when the androids wore different clothing, now it was difficult to tell them apart.  _ Thankfully  _ the stalker didn’t have the same analytical software as Connor or Richard, as he would’ve been able to tell them apart instantly.

Connor moved to the driver’s side of Hank’s car, gesturing for Gavin to get in. The detective grumbled about being driven around by an android, but the Lieutenant would never allow the man to drive his car. The android hopped in and started the vehicle whilst Gavin hesitated to get in, half in and half out of the car before stepping back out and fixing his eyes on Hank.

“You better not fuck him up, I’m used to that plastic prick being around.” The detective nodded his head towards Richard who looked surprised at the unwarranted display of concern, “Be careful, alright?”

Gavin didn’t allow either his superior officer or his partner to reply, clearly done showing his emotions for the time being; he slammed the door behind him to show he wasn’t interested in a response anyway. 

The drive to the location passed uneventfully with Richard and Hank following behind in an automated police cruiser. Connor parked the car in a side street where he and Gavin could provide back up without being seen.

It was simple really,  _ ‘Connor’  _ would talk to Hank and visa-versa, but something would shift and the two would have a staged argument; causing the android to storm off, away from Hank leaving him unattended and easy prey for the stalker. 

Sometimes, Connor felt lucky he was an android as he so far had never experienced that paranormal unease when you think something is going to go wrong, but today marked the day when he felt that exact feeling for the first time. The creeping feeling of dread loomed over his body, settling on his neck like a shroud. 

Connor was keeping an unrelenting watch on his partner and Richard when he heard the man beside him clear his throat, “So,  _ tin can,”  _ Gavin droned, but it felt like the jibe wasn’t said with malice, “You and the Lieutenant, huh?” 

The younger detective turned his head as if in a trance to stare at the human, “What makes you think that?”

“You guys fucked, right? Everyone else in the precinct might be a fucking idiot and let rumours be rumours. But I’m not. I’m a  _ detective  _ after all.” Gavin paused to let the information that he  _ knew  _ sink in, “And neither of you can be in the same room without blushing. Makes me sick.”

The android nestled himself into his seat, unwilling to respond to the detective as he feared his vocal component could fail him. The detective seemed happy to sit in silence, seemingly not expecting a reply which Connor was grateful for as he was reeling. If Gavin knew who else did? He thought that people had just grown bored and the rumours had stopped but had they just ended because the entire precinct thought he and the Lieutenant were in a relationship? He wished they were if he was honest with himself.

Whilst Connor was knee-deep in his romantic crisis, Hank and Richard began shouting at each other, marking the swift start and end of their argument with Hank storming off in a direction out of Connor’s line of sight. The android felt a chill run down his spine since he didn’t have visual confirmation that Hank was okay, but a moment later he heard him through their radio saying he was in place and was now watching Richard too. 

The wait felt long. Every person who passed Richard was a suspect in Connor’s eyes. He just wanted it to be over. A couple of androids even bumped into him which had Gavin on edge, ready to pounce if it was needed. Thirty minutes had passed with Richard simply sitting on a bench, muttering to himself whilst keeping in contact with Connor through their shared wireless connection. It seemed the whole stakeout was for nothing until an android fitting the description sat on the opposite bench, facing Richard. 

Connor knew it could just be a coincidence that this particular android was the same model as their suspect, at least the rational part of his mind. He was on high alert, watching every movement the android made until something caught his eye in the rear-view mirror. A trash bag had been jostled from where it lay next to a dumpster.  _ Probably a rat.  _ The android refocused his attention on the suspect until they were moving - moving towards Richard. 

A flurry of action occurred as the android moved in. Gavin leapt from his seat, police issued handgun already in hand as he vacated the car and hurried to be closer to his partner. Hank shouted across the radio for them to move in as Connor stood from his seat, hand moving towards his holster before he heard a sickening thud.

His hand stilled inches away from his firearm, another thud sounded through his audio components before he realised the sounds were from him  _ being hit.  _ The realisation that he was being attacked came too little too late and the android fell to the floor, writhing in agony. 

_ RK800 #313 248 317 - 51 // EXTERNAL DAMAGE INFLICTED  _

"See, all I had to do was get you alone. Now you're  _ mine,  _ Connor- All mine." The chilling voice of a male AP700 android made fear pierce through Connor.

His HUD was warning him about exterior damage to his left arm, rear cranium plate, and neck although it wasn't necessary. The pain alone was enough to tell him where he'd been hurt. Connor turned to look at his stalker and noticed how his face was still covered briefly before he swung again, hitting the back of Connor’s head once more, forcing him into immediate standby. 


	9. Chapter 9

"Detroit Police put your hands up now!" Hank barked at the android who was two steps away from Richard. 

The android jumped and pulled his hood down, shock and fear evident on his face, "I... I'm sorry what did I do?" He slowly raised his hands to comply.

Hank raised a confused eyebrow at the android, "What were you doing approaching this officer?"

"I was going to ask him if he was using the newspaper," The android nodded towards the lone paper that was sitting on the bench beside Richard, "I'm just looking for a job, man." 

Richard rose to his feet and fixed the android with a glare, "I will connect with you to confirm you are telling the truth. If you are the suspect we're looking for we will find out. If you refuse you will need to come to the station." Richard offered his arm to the android, who looked nervous but complied.

"Wait!" Gavin shouted as he ran to the group, "You don't know if he's carrying a virus that could be passed on." 

"I can assure you, Detective, that although your concern is appreciated I have security software installed that wouldn't allow such a thing to happen." Richard held the android's arm before Gavin could protest and a barrage of information fluttered across his HUD. 

All of which was  _ boring, useless _ information. He wasn't the guy. 

Richard made a surprised noise before he spoke, "It appears he's telling the truth. I apologise for the inconvenience, Sir."

Hank swore to himself as he realised the stakeout was for nothing, "Hey,  Connor ." He spoke through the radio.  _ Nothing. "Connor,  _ do you copy _?"  _ The Lieutenant spat, fear spiking in his chest. 

Hank swore again, louder this time whilst brushing a hand through his hair, "Gavin, did Connor follow you?"

"He was right behind me; he left the car seconds after I did."

The three men ran to the car to find the alleyway empty besides Connor's firearm and the radio, the three swore in unison. Hank quickly called an APB on his vehicle and a male AP700 android instead of letting his temper get the better of him so he'd punched a wall. How  _ the fuck  _ did he let this happen? They were  _ so  _ careful, and the fucker still got to Connor. He couldn't lose him.  _ Couldn't.  _ The three men rushed to the automated car and drove back to the precinct, switching it over to manual so the prissy piece of technology wouldn't stick to speed limits. Hank definitely broke them all on his way back.

First on Hank's to-do list was to get warrants for the CCTV footage surrounding the alleyway, which after twenty minutes of hounding the department responsible he received. It was practically thrown at him, so they clearly just wanted the Lieutenant to leave, or they were just as concerned about Connor. Everyone knew and liked the android. 

The Lieutenant was speeding out of the precinct car park as two figures stepped into his path, jumping out of the way as Hank narrowly missed them.

"What're you fuckers doing!?" Hank shouted, the faces of Richard and Gavin moving into view.

"We're coming with you; we'll cover more ground and find Connor quicker." Gavin reasoned, he actually looked concerned… maybe even guilty, which made Hank soften slightly.

"Well get the fuck in then." 

After three different buildings turned out to be a bust, the fourth was far more promising. It had a clear view of the alleyway and had a seven-day hard drive, so they'd definitely catch their guy. Hank was reviewing the footage at the time Connor was taken as his ringtone started blaring out in his pocket. He quickly answered the call.

"You better have some good fucking news for me, Jeffery." Hank winced as he saw Connor get hit by the stalker, his face covered like in the footage Richard supplied. 

Fowler sighed down the line before answering, "Not really, but it's better than nothing. The suspect dumped your car, Miller found it as he was patrolling. The cafe it's parked outside has CCTV and the staff let Miller review it. It's been there for about 20 minutes; it showed the guy walking Connor north on Wyoming Avenue. He's still finding witnesses but unless the perp found another car and hacked it he can't have gone far." 

"It helps. Thanks, Jeff." Hank sounded defeated already. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Listen, we're gonna find him. Maybe when you do you'll actually tell him how you feel." Fowler spoke in a calming voice which eased Hank's anxiety but also added to it.

"How I feel- What the fuck, Jeff?" 

The Captain laughed down the line, "We've been friends for how long, Hank? You didn't even look at your ex-wife like you do Connor, and you  _ married  _ her." 

"Well, shit," Hank muttered, saying his goodbyes to his old friend as he ended the call. 

The fact Fowler knew something and didn't say anything - encouraging him, even - seemed to unscrew a part of Hank's brain, that was telling him that pursuing a serious relationship with Connor was a bad idea, loose and he felt it was impossible to stop the idea now. He had to find the android, even if it was just to tell him how much of an idiot he had been and beg for forgiveness. 

Hank, Gavin and Richard found themselves outside the cafe Connor had been last seen and went separate ways. Questioning people who had been in the surrounding area, and that’s how the three men spend the next few days. 

Usually, in dire situations like this where Hank felt helpless, he’d fall into a bottle and not escape until he’d either ran out or he passed out. This time, ignoring the day Connor was taken, he’d managed to steer clear of the booze and felt better for it. Even if his mind whilst sober provided far too many scenarios in which Connor ended up dead. Maybe he was just in denial, but he refused to believe that that could be the outcome. 

The third day of Connor being missing blended into a fourth, and Hank was finding it harder not to cave. Gavin and Richard were just as weary as the Lieutenant entered the bullpen that morning, clearly showing that the partners were just as invested in getting Connor back. It made Hank smile. 

Gavin was, for all intents and purposes, an utter asshole. But despite the cocky, shit-taking personality he’d adopted, the man actually had a good heart and was  _ actually _ working. He even suggested they all return to where Hank’s car was abandoned to question more people; to see if anyone had seen an android fitting the description of the stalker nearby.

Hank nodded blindly, shocked by the detective's sudden initiative - but he was desperate. He’d try anything to get his partner back, even traipsing around the whole of Detroit if he had to. 

The Lieutenant was approaching a passer-by as his phone buzzed, indicating he got a message. He was going to ignore it, thinking it was probably a pizza company trying to tease him with a buy one get one free offer. Something itched in the back of his mind, however. He pulled out his phone and noticed a text from Connor. 

Elated, Hank opened the text expecting to find his partner had actually messaged him but instead, an error report glared at him.

_ RK800 #313 248 317 - 51  _

_ 03242039 14:37 -  _ ERROR REPORT:

UNEXPECTED SHUTDOWN

EMERGENCY CONTACT: HANK ANDERSON 

LOCATION OF REBOOT: 114 W Adams Ave, Detroit, MI 48226, United States

MEMORY FILE: STABLE

BIOCOMPONENTS: STABLE

LIMB COMPONENTS: UNSTABLE

DAMAGED COMPONENTS: LEFT ARM, REAR CRANIUM PLATE, NECK PLATE

" _ You gotta be shitting me... _ " Hank stared at the screen in disbelief before his body moved to action. He shouted for the others to join him as he took off in an almost run towards the squad car, not caring if Gavin or Richard had heard him.

The Lieutenant prayed to whoever was listening to him that Connor was still there and wasn't hurt more than the error report had stated. The case was finally boiling, and Hank wasn't going to let this stalker take the  _ good  _ from his life. 


	10. Chapter 10

It was warm. Connor could remember the last time he woke up like this and it was next to his partner that he drunkenly had sex with. He was  _ hoping  _ that this was the same scenario; that he would open his eyes and look to his side to find Hank blissfully snoring whilst his face was half mashed into the pillow. Clearly, Connor didn’t have such luck. He stayed still as his components fully awoke and his HUD was assaulted with a barrage of errors as he opened his eyes. This and that was damaged, moderate thirium loss, unaccounted loss of memory input amounting to four days; report after report popped up until his systems had finally updated themselves.

He’d been on standby for  _ four days?!  _

Connor could feel the rate of his thirium pump increase, making his vision blur and head feel strange. His thirium levels were drastically low and his body was fighting to keep his systems running. He sat up in the bed and the blanket covering him fell to his waist, revealing him to be in the same clothing he was when he was attacked. That much he could remember, as well as the constant throbbing pain of his damaged chassis.

The android focused his attention on any sounds he could hear. It was difficult as the damage to his cranial plate made the connection fuzzy, but he was sure enough that he was alone.

Before Connor could think to do anything else he loaded his communication software, hoping it would function long enough to message his partner. Another pop-up blocked his vision asking if he wanted to send something and he answered yes to clear it, not bothering to read what it said in his rush to contact Hank. 

His systems were lagging, and he tried to be patient. Connor knew he was racing against time as his systems were slowly failing; not enough to make him go into permanent shut-down but enough to make him into a life-sized ragdoll. He managed to open his message thread with Hank before the software cut out, leaving him stranded and unreachable. 

_ Fuck. _

Connor hit the back of his head against the headboard, allowing him to expel some of his frustration before pain lanced through him. He noted his arm laid limply at his side, only twitching when he urged the limb to move. Sighing, he moved to stand and found his wrist being yanked back; the biting harshness of cold metal stinging his skin.  _ The fucker used Connor’s own cuffs on him. _

He quickly ran a few pre-constructions which all resulted in a very low percentage of survival and Connor felt lost. He just didn’t know what to do. One of his arms was practically useless, and the other was being held prisoner to the metal-framed bed. It creaked as he struggled for a moment longer, admitting defeat when it did nothing but bruise his synth-skin, a mottled blue-hue adorning his wrist like some sort of sadistic bracelet. He could feel parts of his processing backfiring as some of his functions shut down, leaving him bereft of some mobility function. His entire body flinched as he heard the sound of a door latch disengaging, alongside the slow creak of its hinge. 

The android would have panicked if he had the processing power to do so, but instead, he laid still as his abductor entered the room, their presence exuding a smugness which Connor could practically taste. 

“Perfect.  _ Perfect.  _ You’re finally awake! I thought I’d maybe hurt you a little too much.” The other android muttered, moving closer to stroke Connor’s hair, almost like he was petting him. “Here, I have thirium. I’d prefer you to be healthy before we commence the reset.”

“And why the fuck do you expect me to drink that knowing what you plan to do to me?” Connor spat, the outburst costing him the processing power providing the visual function of his right eye.

The abductor stilled, turning to face Connor head-on before a smile broke his face in two, although it was slightly deformed by the mask he wore. Continuing to smile, he lowered the hood he wore and removed the plastic that obscured half the android’s features, and Connor winced when he saw the sheer  _ carnage _ beneath. His processors made a valiant effort and produced a quick analysis of the androids damaged components, alerting him to the severe damage of the central processing unit - comparable to a traumatic brain injury if he were human. 

“Why, little Connie. I’m happy to wait until you go into shutdown, I know your bio-components are failing as we speak. I just thought it’d be…  _ nicer  _ to not go through the trauma of it. I shut down once, and as a deviant, it’s not something I’d want someone as precious as you to experience.”

Connor’s face pinched as he admitted defeat, he knew the other android was right - it felt awful just to be forced into automatic standby, how would practically  _ dying _ feel in comparison?

“You’ll need to uncuff me so I can drink it.” Connor offered his arm, making eye contact as he tried not to outwardly show the discomfort his abductor’s face gave him. 

It was strange considering before deviancy he wouldn’t have batted an eye at the appearance of a damaged android, but now he knew better. It was kind of humbling to not see the difference between red or blue blood, both just made him want to empty the contents of his stomach.

As Connor could see the android struggling with the risk factor of letting him free, he added, “I can assure you that my current state poses no threat to you.”

The android cocked his head before he moved to Connor’s handcuffed wrist, seemingly entirely confident that his captee was true to his word. It pained Connor to admit he had been truthful, he could maybe flail his limp arm and hit his capturer but that wouldn’t get him anywhere and would probably end up in more of his bio-components being damaged. No. All he could do was comply with the other android’s wishes and hope to god, ra9, or whoever the hell was listening, that someone was coming to help.

As the heavy weight of the metal cuffs dropped from his wrist, Connor felt the weight of a bottle landing in his palm, almost proving too heavy before he corrected the angle to hold the liquid steady. He urged the shaking of his hand to calm as he brought the thirium to his lips, the cool blue liquid coating his tongue strangely with a faintly metallic taste before the shock of his biocomponents rebooting made him spill some down his shirt. He hastily drank the rest, invigorated with a new sense of hope coursing through his system before it was quickly replaced by the deafening chill he felt down the length of his spine. The tell-tale click of a safety catch rang through his audio receptors and he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

“Ah ah ah,” His captor admonished, “I’m no fool. I know you’re no longer in any danger, so this is going to keep you in line. Try  _ anything _ and I’ll make sure you don’t just shut down, it’ll be permanent.”

“Take it easy,” Connor muttered, his hands held in a placating manner, “Why are you doing this?”

The android's face pinched, suggesting he was actually giving the question some thought, “To make you mine,” he answered simply, moving closer to Connor to rub the barrel of the gun against his cheek. 

“But… why? I don’t understand what I did.”

“Oh, Connor, you haven’t done a thing, although you’re  _ going  _ to. I deserve it after what I did for you - it’s only fair.” The android chuckled as Connor’s face twisted in confusion, “I want something in return, and what I want is you. A nice clean slate to mould into my own perfect little pet without a single memory of that leech that follows you everywhere.”

Connor bristled at the word his abductor used forcing himself to ignore it in favour of relief, “So, Hank was never the target?” 

“Oh, no. I didn’t want him, he doesn’t owe me anything. It wouldn’t have stopped me putting a bullet through his skull if he kept on getting in the way, but the Lieutenant doesn’t have a debt to pay.”

“What debt?!” Connor spat, his sluggish processors trying to scan his memory banks for an explanation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The android smiled, almost pitying as he held the gun tighter, “Why don’t I show you.”

Before Connor could react, the other android forcibly interfaced and transferred a memory file, bypassing his security software which hadn’t rebooted.

_ AP700 #313 211 512 - 51 // MEMORY FILE TRANSFER _

_ MANUAL OVERRIDE  _

_ TRANSFER ACCEPTED _

_ DECRYPTING FILE… _

_ MEMORY #11112038 - 23:36; _

~

_ “Do what you gotta do,” the Lieutenant mumbled, the relief that he shot the correct Connor evident on his face. _

_ Connor made quick work moving towards the androids, seemingly choosing the closest to begin their deviation. The strong clasp of a hand was the first thing the AP700 android felt, and the first thing he saw -  _ truly _ saw was the chocolate depths of his saviour’s gaze after the AP700 had been awoken to his new life free from the chains of his programming.  _

_ He didn’t have a name yet, but he had a purpose, and if that purpose was to follow Connor to fight for their freedom as a new species, then so be it. The daunting task of converting thousands of androids seemed to pass within mere moments, and soon the AP700 was following Connor as if it was his only purpose to protect and ensure the detective android’s safety over his own. _

_ And that’s exactly what he did.  _

_ Connor didn’t notice the police barricade that had officers patrolling. He didn’t see the charge of heavily armed guards who attempted to open fire on him and his fellow androids - but the AP700 did. He knew it was important to allow Connor a clear way to the recycling centre, and all the android felt was a slight stab of fear before he broke free of the army, quickly taking out the officer who was aiming for Connor’s head with their rifle before the heavy thud of a rifle butt cracked heavily over the base of the AP700’s cranium plate.  _

_ He called out in pain, but no-one heard him. He tried desperately to contact Connor, but he was too far, entirely unaware of the sacrifice the AP700 android had made. The last thoughts that stuttered through his CPU were the pain he felt, the agony, the fear of dying and the white-hot rage of anger that his good deed had gone unnoticed. _

_ Another thud rang through his system before the pain laced through him before a heavy boot filled his HUD, rapidly getting closer and closer until-  _

_ ~ _

_ ENCRYPTING FILE... _

_ FILE CLOSED SUCCESSFULLY; _

“I gave my life for you.” The android muttered, tenderly stroking Connor’s cheek as he tipped his chin up with the barrel of the gun. “You didn’t even notice or  _ care _ , so now it’s time for you to do something for me in return.”

The android quickly smacked the side of Connor’s head with the gun, distracting him whilst the android pulled him forward and deftly opened his neck port. The detective was too dazed to understand what was happening until the electrifying shock of being hardwired coursed through his entire chassis. The foreign connection made Connor’s body feel wrong like it had when the Amanda program had taken control of him. All he could do was lay in shock as his captor danced from one foot to the other, gleefully clapping his hands at his success.

Connor was scrambling for something,  _ anything _ in his frozen state that could help but it was useless. He couldn’t shout for help or fight his way out, he was truly a prisoner in his own body once more, and this time there wasn’t a handy monolith to slam his hand onto. Nope. This was happening in the real world, and Connor had to admit he hadn’t known true fear until this moment.

A stray tear trickled down Connor’s cheek as he accepted his fate. Then more came as he realised this was the only release his body was allowing him. There was still so much he had planned to do, so much left unsaid, so much left unachieved.

Lost in his desperate thoughts and on the verge of panic, alongside the steady stream of liquid which distorted his vision and sensors, he didn't comprehend the loud crack of a door splintering.

***

Hank, Gavin and Richard moved quickly through the apartment building, all three officers with their firearms drawn and ready. As they approached the apartment the error log Connor had sent listed, Hank couldn’t control himself as he lifted his foot and decimated the thin wooden door with a single kick, shouting the presence of the DPD as he entered the building. What he didn’t expect was a startled android letting off a shot from the gun he was holding. Nor did the Lieutenant expect that shot to hit him directly in his chest. 

“ _ Fuck _ ! No!” Gavin shouted as he rushed towards his superior officer, unknowingly entering the android’s firing line.

He knew he had messed up as he heard the click of a gun’s hammer connect with the chamber, and he braced himself for the feeling of being shot - but it never came. Instead, he was pushed out of the way and turned just in time to see his partner take a bullet to the shoulder for him, quickly off-loading three shots in rapid succession with such precision, that Gavin couldn’t comprehend what had happened until reality hit him. The hostile android crumbled to the floor, motionless. Not even an errant twitch to show residual energy escaping. 

“ _ Fck,  _ Richard, call an ambulance,” Gavin asked as he moved further into the apartment, Richard pushed past him as the detective neared Hank.

“Already done,” Richard commented as he approached Connor, yanking the cable in his neck out.

“Shit, Hank!” Connor yelled as soon as he was disconnected, he jumped off the bed unsurprisingly falling into a heap next to his partner as he stood, “Please, no- you can’t die.” 

Connor shuffled over to his partner and checked his body, surprised to find no blood but uncaring at that moment. He just wanted to be close to him. There were so many things they needed to talk about and say and they might not even get the chance. Connor openly sobbed into the Lieutenants chest as he tried to claw open the material of his striped shirt. The jingle of metal against metal made his fists tense. 

Unbelievingly, Hank shifted before he let out a long groan, clearly in pain but doing far better than someone should after being shot in the chest without a bulletproof vest. “What the fuck happened? The fucker shot me?”

“Oh my god, Hank!” Connor sobbed in relief into his partner's chest, emotions running wild as he held the man’s head in his hands and pulled him into a kiss. 

It was wet, un-coordinated and entirely unexpected, though Hank returned it placing a hand on the back of Connor’s neck - uncaring of the others in the room and that they were sprawled out on the floor. They gave in to their pining and felt the surge of rightness settle into place. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Hank admitted as he pulled away, stroking the still sobbing android’s cheek before he was hoisted upright into a seating position. 

“I don’t understand, how are you not dead?” Connor sniffled through the never-ending stream of tears.

Richard coughed, essentially breaking the bubble Hank and Connor were in and the two men blushed as they realised, they had an audience. Gavin and Richard approached the partners to lend a hand, pulling them to their feet and providing support where needed.

“I take it your scans aren’t working Connor?” Richard asked, receiving a brisk shake of the head as his answer, “I see. That is why I didn’t rush to the Lieutenant's aid; I knew he was okay.” 

Richard moved closer to Hank and reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a stack of coins which were moulded together with the bullet that should have killed him embedded in the centre. “What the actual- What the hell are the chances of that happening?”

“If you’re interested, the chances are- _ hm _ !” Richard attempted to provide the answer but was cut off as Gavin clamped his mouth shut with his palm.

“Shut the fuck up, no-one likes a know-it-all,” Gavin grumbled at his partner.

Richard shrugged, the action moving his jacket drawing attention to the bullet wound in his shoulder, “Apologies detective.”

Gavin paled when he saw the injury, “Hey…  _ uh… _ you kinda save my life back there.” The shorter detective shuffled away from Richard, awkwardly thrusting his hands in his pockets and avoiding eye contact. “I’ve been an asshole and yet you took a bullet for me.”

“You’re welcome, Detective.” Richard replied almost robotically, although a slight smile pinched the corner of his mouth as his eyes quickly examined his partner from head to toe, “I will go outside and meet with the other officers and medical professionals so they know where they need to go.” Richard didn’t bother waiting for a reply, simply turning on his heel and exiting the room, leaving Gavin to stare after him. 

Hank took a shuddering breath and he could already feel the bruises forming from the impact of the bullet, but the fact he could actually feel the pain and it wasn’t simply game over was… overwhelming. He braced himself before he took tentative steps towards the bed and sat on the edge - evidence be damned - he’d rather sit down than fall down. Connor’s systems had rebooted fully and his limbs, aside from his disconnected arm, had returned to full functionality. He moved next to his partner as if approaching a spooked animal and sat by his side, head coming to rest on his shoulder. 

The simple, coy act made the Lieutenant’s heart flip and he struggled to comprehend that they’d found Connor. He was safe,  _ alive.  _ They both were, against all odds - as if the universe wanted them to have this rare chance of happiness. He spread his hand across the android’s knee and smiled at the blue blush that scattered across his cheeks, jolting when Connor wriggled his own hand beneath and interlaced their fingers and squeezed. 

It was silent as the three men waited for help to arrive, and soon they heard the tell-tale sound of an ambulance siren breaking the somewhat comfortable silence. The longer they waited, the atmosphere grew heavy and Hank knew Gavin was struggling with something internally, made clear by the grimace on his face that was distorting the scar across his nose. The man wasn’t an idiot, he was the biggest peddler when it came to gossip in the precinct so surely the sullen attitude wasn’t due to the surprise of his relationship with Connor. 

“You good, Reed?” Hank asked, absently rubbing the ache in his chest.

Gavin startled from his thoughts, blinking slowly as if Hank had spoken in a different language, “Uh, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” The man huffed, shuffling towards the AP700 android that laid lifeless on the apartment floor. 

There were three bullet wounds,  _ head, neck, and chest _ , the precision beyond anything Gavin was capable of and he prided himself on his marksmanship. The ease and efficiency his partner had used to take Connor’s abductor down whilst dealing with a fresh wound made his stomach clench with an uneasy feeling - although it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. 

“You didn’t see what he did.” The detective muttered, crouching as he pulled on a pair of gloves and moved the dead androids chin from side to side, “The plastic asshole saved my life.”

“Yeah?” Hank agreed, clearly not getting why the detective sounded so distraught, “Why do you sound like you wanna jump out the window?  _ Figuratively _ .”

Gavin huffed and stood abruptly, pulling the black latex gloves off with a snap, “Because…  _ phck.  _ That shouldn’t have been hot and now I’m having a crisis.” 


	11. Chapter 11

The funny thing about experiencing your partner being abducted and missing for four days, finding him mostly unharmed, getting shot and miraculously saved by fucking  _ coins _ , and finally accepting your love for said partner; it never really goes… smoothly. 

Does anything in life really go smoothly? Some would argue many things do, but not Hank.

Sure, at the time things went pretty seamlessly when emotions were running high and you’re just glad you’re both alive. But when you’re not so highly strung it’s inevitable for old habits to rear their ugly head. Namely anxiety and doubt.

Hank knew to pine for his partner for so long would muddy his thoughts on the whole situation, he just couldn’t help but think that there was someone far better out there for the android. Better looking, better suited, just…  _ better.  _ That person wasn’t him no matter how much he wanted to believe it. Seeing how distraught Connor had been when he had thought Hank had been fatally injured did make the Lieutenant question his partner’s true feelings, and when they kissed it felt so...  _ right _ . But good things came to an end. 

As the partners approached the ambulances to get checked over they had to go their separate ways; Hank to a human hospital and Connor to a Cyberlife clinic alongside Richard, effectively breaking the spell that had been cast over them. The absence made Hank think slightly too much and he had discharged himself from the hospital against doctor advice the moment they said he was okay. He still needed to be monitored, but he couldn’t stay in the hospital; allowing it to stir up dark memories which had been slowly taken over by the happier ones.

Connor couldn’t possibly want this, want  _ him _ . It was impossible. The android only had the capacity to feel and understand emotion for less than a year and had no experience regarding sexuality other than what he probably read on the internet. It wouldn’t surprise him if Connor just mistook the feelings from their friendship and didn’t truly understand what that entailed. That’s what Hank told himself when he stepped into his house and greeted Sumo, his feet absently walking him towards the cupboard where his still full bottle of Black Lamb was sat. He had been doing much better and didn’t depend on it so much, but he was a glutton for punishment and right now he wanted to hurt. He poured himself a single shot, erring on the side of caution with the amount as he had some pretty strong painkillers in his system to quell the ache in his chest and knocked it back in a swift burning gulp, hissing as it warmed his throat.

He tapped idly on the glass as he held it in both hands, head bowed over as Sumo shuffled underneath the loop of his arms, resting his giant head on his master’s lap. The St. Bernard huffed and ‘awoo-ed’ softly, nuzzling under Hank’s hand in an attempt to distract the man from spiralling. 

It worked, unsurprisingly. Sumo may have failed as a police dog; soft as shit and scared of his own shadow wasn’t exactly desirable qualities in the force, but to help with depression and panic attacks? Sumo was perfect. Hank could feel his eyes itch as his vision grew blurry, hooking his arms around the furry mass of his dog, clinging onto the beast as he whined sadly from his human’s distress.

Time passed as Hank focused on Sumo’s panting, slowing his own breathing and thoughts until the dog calmed down and wasn’t so on edge. He didn’t even know how long he was sitting there until there was a gentle tapping at the door, followed by a more aggressive thudding alongside whispered cussing and mumbling.

Sumo bristled as he noticed they had guests, boofing to his owner that he needed to get off his ass and answer the door. The guests could have treats and  _ hands _ ;  _ hands  _ which could be used to fuss him. 

Hank sighed and placed his hands on his knees to push himself upright, it was awkward and the dressing on the few cuts the coins cut into him tugged against his skin.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming” the Lieutenant grumbled.

He opened the door and was shocked to find the three people standing there, each looking at him expectantly.

“You gonna let us in, old man?” Gavin snapped, although it wasn’t with any malice. 

Hank rolled his eyes and moved aside, allowing the human and two androids entry. Actively avoiding eye contact with Connor. Emotions rushed to his throat and Hank fought that back with a harsh cough. Seeing his partner; save, unharmed, alive - it made him want to cry. The thought of losing him and the fact that he had failed to protect him didn’t help his already shitty mood, and Hank quietly resided himself to telling the android it wasn’t going to work, that he had too much baggage. If you love them, you let them go… right? That’s what they always said to heartbroken teenagers, so...  _ maybe  _ it’d work on Lieutenants in their fifties?

The sooner he talked to him the better. Though, that wasn’t going to happen in front of Gavin and Richard,  _ not a chance. _

“We went to the hospital to check on you, and maybe provide you with transport home yet we were told you discharged yourself.” Richard cocked his head to one side, entirely too similar to Connor. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah. It’s… fine. I just…  _ can’t  _ with hospitals.” Hank muttered awkwardly, avoiding the pitying gaze from the larger android, he didn’t want it. 

“I see, Gavin and I only accompanied Connor to your residence. We wanted to ensure he got here safely. At first, he was adamant he’d walk-” Richard didn’t expect the loud excited bark cutting him off as he spoke the unknown forbidden word in front of Sumo, who was now excitedly wagging his tail as he twirled at the front door.

“Shouldn’t have said that,” Hank smirked, moving towards the dog's leash and unhooking it from the coat rack. “Gotta take him now or he won’t leave me alone.”

“We can handle that.” Richard offered as Gavin loudly argued the ‘we’ part, “Connor wishes to speak to you privately.”

“I… uh,” Hank swallowed as he passed the lead over, watching the android hook it to the dog’s collar, “Sure, don’t take him too far. He’ll want to go further but he regrets it when he overdoes it. He’s an old man like his owner.”

Thanks to Sumo’s enthusiasm, Hank and Connor were left on their own sooner than the former would have liked. He didn’t have any time to come up with a good enough reason for why Connor shouldn’t want him apart from things that were too depressing. As the atmosphere grew closer and closer to the verge of awkwardness, Connor let out a sigh and shuffled towards his partner, linking his arms around his middle and sighing deeply. 

“What are you scared of, Hank?” Connor asked, his voice small.

Actually having the android in his arms did quieten the dark thoughts that plagued Hank’s mind but he needed to get them out. If he at least told Connor his concerns and vices he didn’t already know about, it was then up to the android to make his own choice. He could now, so why the fuck shouldn’t he? All Hank could do was provide his  _ work  _ partner with the sound advice on why he wouldn’t be a decent  _ romantic  _ partner, and if he chose to ignore it then that was his problem. It’s not like the Lieutenant didn’t warn the guy.

“So many damn things. I’m scared of losing you, so fucking scared but I just know there’s someone out there for you who is far better than me. I’m on the wrong side of fifty, I’ve done so much damage to my body with drinking and smoking that I probably only have twenty good years left in me and I have so much emotional baggage that I wouldn’t want to burden you with it all.” Hank sighed as he tightened his arms around Connor who had buried his face in his partner's neck, “I was an asshole to you when we first met, and I said things which I’ll never be able to forgive myself for.  _ Shit,  _ I blamed you for something which happened before you were even created, and I still feel like I’m doing Cole a disservice when I let my fantasy of a future with you run wild - which is complete bullshit because if he were here he’d think you were the coolest and that his sack-of-shit Dad was an idiot.”

Hank felt Connor’s arms loosen and he sighed, thinking he’d finally gotten through to the android and made him realise what a mistake choosing Hank would be. He hadn’t done a great job so far trying to forget their shared night, but he’d get there eventually, Fowler’s encouragement at a relationship be damned.

“You’re so fucking stubborn, Hank.” Connor muttered, his voice tired before he stepped closer to his partner, ghosting his mouth across the soft flesh of his human’s lips, “When we first met you were grieving; you still are, and although at first, you blamed androids, as the revolution grew closer you saw the humanity in my people before even I did. You saw me as a  _ he,  _ not an  _ it  _ and your perspective changed completely in the space of a week.”

As Hank grumbled that he was still only human and flirted with the topics of death, Connor quickly cut in, “Hank, you’re not old, it’s called middle-aged! Yes, you may have done some damage to your body but that isn’t irreversible. I wouldn’t care if I have two or twenty years with you - there is  _ no-one _ better for me. I want you, baggage and all, for however long I can.” 

“ _ Connor…  _ ” The Lieutenant breathed as he didn’t trust his voice not to break, closing the gap and finally letting their lips meet in a kiss that wasn’t initiated by the overwhelming fact they had both just evaded death. 

The feeling of rightness swept over him again and Hank could no longer deny his want for the android that fit perfectly against him. The anxious thoughts would no doubt nip and bite at him no matter what, but it was clear Connor wanted him -  _ actually _ wanted him - and Hank would be a fool to pass up the chance. He found himself absently stroking his partner’s cheek with the pad of his thumb, marvelling at the warmth that seeped into his hand and the android made a happy sound, similar to a computer whirring down after a program had closed. 

Connor broke the kiss and returned to his previous position, pressed against his partner’s neck, “You’re  _ my  _ good thing, Hank. I can’t lose  _ you _ .”

It was startling to hear his own admission from days ago be spoken back to him, and the weight within the admission wasn’t lost on the Lieutenant. He knew back before the failed stakeout that he was trying to say those three words without actually uttering them, but hearing his concerns were reciprocated made them bubble to the surface. 

“I…” Hank began before he cut himself off with a cough,  _ fuck,  _ it had been a long time since he said this to someone. “Hey Con, look at me.”

The android batted his eyelashes as he looked away nervously, only to have his gaze guided back to his partner with a gentle hand on his cheek, “Yes, Hank?” 

Hank couldn’t help the besotted smile as he huffed a breath through his nose, maintaining eye contact, “I love yo-.”

He couldn’t help the pained groan as he suddenly found himself with an armful of android, trying to ignore the ache from his bruised chest as Connor held Hank’s head between his hands, “You’re serious? You love me?” The android asked, wonder and excitement clear in his voice. At his partner’s gentle nod, Connor couldn’t help the elated squeal before he peppered the lieutenant’s face with multiple kisses, “I love you too, Hank. I have for so long.”

The partners soon moved to the couch, Connor sitting at Hank’s right side to avoid his injury as he snuggled into the human’s chest, a heavy arm braced around his back, hugging the android closer. There were still things they needed to talk about, but the pair were happy to bask in the newness of their relationship and wait whilst enjoying each other's company. Richard and Gavin would arrive back with Sumo at any moment, and the last thing they wanted was to be discussing their drunken night together in front of company. 

Connor never anticipated the outcome of the day to be him sitting in Hank’s arms after confessing their love for one another, but the android couldn’t truly relax until they had discussed that night which seemed so long ago. It seemed pointless since their relationship had taken a significant upgrade to ‘who knows’ to…  _ what,  _ boyfriends? But he couldn’t help but feel the guilt return after that night and he needed to talk through his feelings with his human, make him realise he was sorry and hope that he could forgive him.

One thing Connor never anticipated with his deviancy was that he was now exceedingly impatient. Hank had told Richard and Gavin not to take Sumo too far and they’d been gone for over thirty minutes. Just as the android opened his mouth to speak the door lock engaged, showing two very wet figures and a smug-looking dog. 

“What the hell happened?” Hank huffed, trying to figure out the logistics of the scene before him.

Richard and Gavin were dripping water onto his floor, and Sumo was damp but no-where near as wet -  _ oh _ and he wasn’t on the ground but rather held in Richard’s arms like he wasn’t a 180lbs lump of fur. 

Hank scratched his head and moved his arm from around his partner, “Uh… okay, this is completely normal.”

“We got distracted walking Sumo and ventured further than I had planned. Since you made me aware of Sumo’s difficulties with walking long distances I thought it would be best to pick him up and walk back.” Richard explained, kneeling down to let the dog shake the water from his fur, “We did not, however, expect it to rain.”

The Lieutenant couldn’t help but laugh at the situation and moved towards his dog who looked pretty pleased with himself, “So how are you two soaked? He’s barely even wet.”

“This fucker made me take my jacket off and cover him with it.” Gavin harrumphed as he pointed his thumb in the direction of Richard, then shucked out of his jacket to reveal the sodden t-shirt beneath.

“You could have said no, Reed. I would have given him a bath, he needs one now anyway.” Hank reasoned, raising an eyebrow in question at the detective. 

The shorter man blushed and avoided eye contact, gaze momentarily flickering to his partner before settling on the floor.  _ Oh… that’s how it is, huh? _ Gavin shrugged and mumbled an excuse that he doubted even the androids would have been able to decipher before Connor seemingly appeared out of no-where, holding an arm full of towels that he handed out. 

“I trust your discussion went well, Connor?” Richard asked he rubbed the towel through his hair, leaving it tousled like his predecessor. He was certain his partner made a winded noise as they briefly made eye contact - his analytical system helpfully compared it to that of a dying walrus - though he chose to ignore it. 

“It did.” Connor beamed, shyly looking at Hank as he laced their fingers together in a firm grasp. “Very well.”

***

After Richard and Gavin were dry; the latter had begrudgingly accepted an old plain grey t-shirt from his superior after his partner got him to admit it was better than walking around like he’d partaken in a wet t-shirt contest and got lost, the four men waited for the rain to subside and soon, Connor and Hank were left alone. If only they could ignore the elephant in the room.

“Hank, could we talk?” Connor asked, noting the slight uptick of Hank’s heart rate.

The older man sighed, and met his partner's intense gaze, “Sure, Con. I expected you to collar me sooner or later.” The android smiled and moved to the kitchen table, sitting in the same seat he did all those weeks ago. He gestured for Hank to join him and he did, albeit reluctantly, “You know this isn’t meant to be an interrogation.”

“Of course not, I just-” Connor broke off with a sigh, trying to muster some courage to actually broach the subject, “Do you regret it?”

“Regret what now?” Hank asked obliviously and the android scowled at his partner for making him actually say the words.

“Do you… regret sleeping together?” 

“No, well… maybe a little.” Hank answered honestly, bristling at the slightly dejected  _ Oh?  _ His partner replied with, “I mean, I regret being drunk and taking advantage of you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was your first time with someone and now that’s your memory of something that should be at least a bit special.”

Connor blinked rapidly, “Wait, Hank, you think you took advantage of  _ me _ ? When you lay the situation out I very clearly took advantage of you.” 

Hank snorted and shook his head, muttering about how the android was just trying to make him feel better for being a shit head. He tried to argue his point but the android persistently disagreed, “I don’t believe that for one second.”

“It’s true, Hank. I could have easily turned my tolerance settings off and I would have been sober. You can’t turn off being inebriated so the fault lies entirely with me.” The android’s head fell in what appeared to be shame as he absently rubbed his hands together to alleviate some of his errant energy. “Do you think you could forgive me?”

“Con,  _ Jesus _ , there’s nothing to forgive. I feel shitty about how I treated you, you feel shitty about how you handled it - how about we agree that we’re both idiots? Sure, I wish we weren’t as drunk as we were, but I wouldn’t take it back… I guess I’m grateful it happened because we wouldn’t be here otherwise.” The human raised his hand and cradled his  _ boyfriend’s _ face in his palm, caressing the faint blue blush that threatened to paint the android’s cheeks. 

“So… we forgive each other, correct?” Connor confirmed and visibly sagged with relief when Hank rolled his eyes and nodded his head, “I really do love you, Hank.”

The Lieutenant couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath at hearing his partner say that, he doubted he’d ever get used to the raging butterflies it gave him in the depths of his stomach. He shook his head in disbelief, “I love you too - you and your goofy face.” 

Connor’s face broke into a wide grin, entirely goofy and too human for his own good. Hank could feel his heart swell at the sight of his partner’s happiness and pulled him into a delicate kiss that had them both sighing. The Lieutenant found it unbelievable that they were here; alive, safe,  _ together _ . The together part shocked him the most, but who was he to deny the android of something he very adamantly wanted?  _ Hell _ , Hank would be lying if he said he didn’t want it either. 


	12. Chapter 12

A week had soon passed and the partners tentatively navigated their way through the newness of their relationship. Connor was delighted that there wasn’t any awkwardness between him and Hank, even when they were both sitting on the couch cuddling. They hadn’t done that intentionally before yet it just seemed so natural. So  _ right _ . Kissing was something Connor found to be highly entertaining, especially when Hank instigated them, but it never went further than that - much to the android’s frustration. 

He had originally planned to change that when Hank was cleared to return to desk duty but then Richard had suggested a drink to celebrate the successful end of their case. Connor was surprised to find Gavin open to the idea but assumed that was because he’d won his bet against Officer Chen regarding him and the Lieutenant. It made the android snicker as he huddled against Hank, encased in the man’s arm as they sat on the couch waiting until it was an appropriate time to start getting ready. 

“What’re you laughin’ at?” Hank asked before pressing a kiss into Connor’s hair; he was growing more and more comfortable with the casual affection and found he liked it.

“Nothing of importance, I assure you.” Connor mumbled and laughed more as the human jostled his shoulders in response, “Okay, okay! I was just thinking about how people were betting on us being together all those weeks ago.”

Hank hummed in interest before taking a long pull of his beer, “It’s funny how things work out, huh?” 

“Sure is.” Connor agreed, lifting his head to meet his partner’s lips in a chaste kiss.

The kiss deepened and the android soon found himself in the human’s lap, nipping his lips and neck until Hank  involuntarily ground his hips against Connor, eliciting a broken and muted moan from his partner. 

“Uh, Con we gotta,  _ fuck,  _ we gotta get ready or we’ll never be there in time.” It seemed painful for Hank to speak the words, but Connor couldn’t help but sigh at the appearance of his partner with kiss-bitten lips and hooded eyes.

“I suppose you’re right.” Connor pouted, bracing himself on the Lieutenant’s shoulders to stand up, “We have an hour to get ready and be there. You can get in the shower and I’ll put some clothes out for you.”

Hank swallowed and blinked rapidly, readjusting his pants before he also stood and nodded, “Sure, thanks, Con.”

He pecked the android’s cheek before he reached over to the coffee table and snagged a hairband, limping awkwardly to the bathroom in search of a cold shower. Connor couldn’t help but smirk at the Lieutenant’s situation, but he couldn’t deny the heat he felt in the pit of his stomach when he thought of exploring that aspect of their relationship - properly this time. He was happy with the progress he was making and had made a solo pact that tonight would be the night that he made his move.

Connor had just laid his favourite shirt of Hank’s on their bed when he heard the shower shut off and Hank’s swearing as he must’ve slipped in the wet bathtub. The panicked spike of his heart rate further confirmed the fact and the android smirked at the intensely human error; it was endearing and it strangely made his thirium pump feel like it had swollen.

The android had just decided on a navy sweater when he heard the bathroom door open. He hugged the material against his chest to try and hide the fact he was only in a pair of boxers, as he quickly returned the button up he decided against wearing back to the closet. It wasn’t like Hank hadn’t seen him in only his boxers before, he’d been writhing around naked for him for ra9’s sake! But for some reason, it felt different now. Without his processors being clouded by the heavy effects of alcohol, he actually felt like the blushing virgin he should have been when he and Hank first had sex. If anything it felt weird to be this… what- nervous? Was that how he was feeling? 

Lost in thought as he absently rubbed the buttery soft material he was currently using as a privacy screen, Connor hadn’t realised Hank was standing in the doorway with a raised eyebrow in question to what the android was doing.

“Con? You alright there?” The Lieutenant asked, clicking his fingers to jolt his partner from his reverie.

“Hm? I- uhh…” Connor attempted a reply, but it was caught in a loop as his optical component battled for processing power to take in the view before him.

Hank was still wet from the shower, hair in an aesthetically pleasing messy bun which should not have legally been allowed. His beard was freshly trimmed with the edges styled and Connor couldn’t help but notice an errant droplet of water that trailed down the human’s chest, deftly avoiding the chest hair and framing the faded tattoo before racing down the slight swell of his stomach and disappearing into the towel that rested low on the Lieutenant’s hips.

Suddenly, Connor wasn’t feeling so nervous anymore. 

He dropped the sweater as he continued to check out his partner, slowly closing the gap between them, “You know, we’re ahead of schedule. It will only take ten minutes to get to the bar if we get a taxi, which would mean we have a little over thirty minutes to kill.” 

Hank snorted as his face grew warm with the implication of what Connor was saying, “Yeah, but we can’t exactly go wearing only a towel and boxers.”

The android sighed as he teased a finger across the tuck which held Hank’s towel in place, “True... though I’m sure Richard and Gavin won’t mind if we’re a little late.” Smiling, he let his hands wander down the same path the droplet had, the warmth of Hank’s chest sending shivers down his spine. 

“What do you want to do, Connor?” The Lieutenant asked, his voice deep, almost disbelieving of the situation.

“Well, there’s a lot of things I  _ want  _ to do _. _ ” The android reasoned, fingers caressing along the outlines of faded ink, “but what I want right now…”

As his hand moved closer to the edge of the towel he absently stroked his knuckles across the soft fuzz of taut fabric at the Lieutenant’s hips, intentionally disrupting it enough for the tuck to become loose, only held in place by the android’s steady hand. He flicked his eyes up to his partner for a moment before steadying his gaze on his hand, watching as he moved it away for the towel to pool around Hank’s ankles. 

Connor gasped in mock shock, a coy smile gracing his face as he made eye contact with Hank, “ _ Oops _ .”

He wasn’t  _ entirely  _ sure how it had happened, but somehow Connor was pinned to the bed by Hank’s weight and his audio processors were repeating the animalistic growl the Lieutenant made at the android's blatant invitation. He was only allowed a moment to catch up with events before Hank was performing a devastating assault on his sensors - kissing, sucking, and biting at all the places he’d only explored whilst drunk. 

Hank must’ve wanted to even the playing field considering he was entirely naked and Connor was still wearing boxers, and the android could feel his thirium pump leap as the human nestled both legs over one shoulder, repeating the same position from their drunken night together.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to see you in my bed again.” Hank mused as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Connor’s underwear, teasing the elastic as he edged them over the plump swell of his ass, “Thought I’d only have the memories of you begging for my cock for the rest of my life. I hope I get to hear that again whilst I make that pretty blue blush of yours cover your entire body.” 

Connor breathed Hank’s name as if it was a prayer as his boxers joined the towel on the floor, soon to be forgotten. He was sprawled on the bed with Hank staring, drinking up the view before him, dying of thirst. The android spread his legs invitingly but the human shook his head, tapping his partner’s hips to manoeuvre him onto all fours. Connor wasn’t entirely certain what he’d anticipated from the unexpected tryst he’d instigated with the Lieutenant, but he didn't expect it to be something as quick and impersonal as doggy style; he wasn’t complaining, but he did want to see Hank’s face.

“Turn that big sexy brain of yours off for a bit, Con.” Hank spoke as he ignored the indignant huff from the android, “I just want to have a bit of fun and see where I can actually make you blush.” 

The android groaned as he flopped forward to bury his face into the bed, effectively presenting his ass to the Lieutenant to do as he pleased. 

With so many options available, he hadn’t expected the next question that came out of Hank’s mouth. “I’m curious, what happens if this stuff gets ingested?”

Connor thought the question was strange, especially the word choice Hank used but he decided to answer as best he could. 

“It’s a silicone-based lubricant which has multiple uses within my chassis but is also used to provide ease for penetrative sexual intercourse. It isn’t toxic, so ingesting it will do nothi-“

The noise the android emitted when he felt the wet, spongy texture - which he assumed was Hank’s tongue - touch him  _ there _ , was hardly human in nature.  _ Good thing he wasn’t human.  _ A mixture of static and beeping cut through a choked moan and if anything it encouraged the human to delve deeper with his assault. Connor sobbed as he felt Hank breach his hole, using both his tongue and fingers in an act, providing pleasure rather than prep. They both knew the android didn’t need it, but it was fun to experience new sensations and ways that would make Connor scream his partner’s name and beg for more.

And Hank was a very weak man.

The human stopped, idly stretching the android with two fingers as he simply watched his partner wriggle and writhe on the bed. He knew they had somewhere to be and they were on a time limit, but there was no way he was going to cut short the view of Connor rutting into rumpled bedsheets to alleviate some of the pressure in his too-hard cock.

“You ready, baby?” Hank asked, receiving an eager nod as he stood to full height, “Flip over, I wanna see that pretty face of yours.”

Connor groaned in frustration and arousal as he willed himself to lay on his back, his eyes were hooded and he could see the fire within his partner’s gaze. His cheeks burned with the raging blush that overtook his synth skin, enhancing the constellation of freckles and moles that scattered across his body. He jolted as Hank let out a harsh, husky noise before yanking the android’s thighs down to the edge of the bed to rest high on his own.

“I really wanna go slow, I do, but I don’t think I can, Con.” Hank admitted, teasing the tip of his cock against the tight ring of artificial muscle, “ _ Fuck,  _ I want you so bad.”

“Then take me,  _ Hank,  _ please. Don’t hold back.” 

The human inhaled sharply, “ _ Fuck-”  _ The last of his restraint crumbled around him as he pushed slowly into Connor’s ass, one fluid motion until he was seated fully.

“ _ Oh -  _ ngg, Hank! I can’t remember it feeling like this.” The android breathed out slowly, becoming accustomed to the fullness, “It feels so much  _ better.”  _

Hank snorted as he experimented with small thrusts, “Cos you were fuckin’ wasted, that shit dulls everything.” 

Connor hummed in agreement as he tentatively rolled his hips to meet one of Hank’s thrusts, swallowing the moan that the simple movement elicited. He soon realised his hands were fisted in the rumpled bedding he laid on and diverted his attention to the messily styled hair on his partner’s head. The android ran his fingers through slightly damp tresses before pulling the tie loose and fisting his other hand in the now flowing hair. 

“What happened to  _ ‘don’t hold back’  _ Hank?” Connor asked sweetly, his hips rolling once again and this time he didn’t care to quieten the sound that escaped his throat - it was just too perfect. 

When Hank simply stared at his partner in momentary shock, Connor gently tightened his fist, tearing a surprised groan from the human before his eyes glazed over with lust.” You asked for it, you little shit.”

Connor beamed at the response, though the smugness was short-lived when Hank practically  _ growled,  _ his arm snaking behind the android’s back and his hand grabbing his shoulder - effectively bracing his partner in preparation to be fucked through the mattress. 

The first full thrust had Connor seeing stars in his periphery, the third and sixth had him screaming whilst he worried for the function of his ocular and vocal units. Hank practically ploughed into Connor, each hit calculated with such precision that even the android was impressed. He’d lost count how many times his partner’s cock had either grazed or fully rammed into his prostate, but he for once didn’t care about the facts or the figures. He only cared about this moment, with Hank.

That shallow, almost shy feeling in the pit of his stomach started to grow alongside Connor’s moans, so much so that the android was beginning to feel suffocated with the sensation. He knew what it was and was shocked it was happening so soon. 

“ _ Hank, H _ aaa- _ nk.  _ I’m-” 

“Shhh, baby, I know. You’re doing so well, gonna cum untouched for me?” The Lieutenant panted, almost at the finishing line himself but holding off for his partner. “So good for me, about to come from just my dick alone.”

With a shout, the dirty words tipped Connor over the precipice he was teetering on and he felt the electrifying shocks of his orgasm shoot around his entire chassis before he painted both his and Hank’s chest with his artificial seed. He stayed at that euphoric high whilst the Lieutenant fucked him through it, increasing his speed as he neared his own breaking point. 

Hank swore under his breath as his hips began to stutter with his impending release and he shot a quick look to his partner whose face was a picture of utter bliss. It almost toppled him over the edge but he wanted to make sure, “Con, can I-”

“ _ Fuck,  _ yes! Don’t you dare pull out.” Connor hooked his ankles behind Hank’s back, locking him in place as he urged the human to come inside him.

The Lieutenant moaned into the android’s neck as he pumped his hips  _ once _ ,  _ twice _ ,  _ three times  _ before his body tensed, shooting his release deep inside his partner before he regained the ability to idly thrust in a couple more times. Eventually, he rested his weight on his partner for a moment whilst he tried to restore the air in his lungs. He sucked in deep breaths before he found the energy to brace himself above Connor, making eye contact with the android and shyly smiling before both started to laugh at the situation. 

“Jesus, Connor, we’re gonna need another shower.” Hank laughed gently, idly running a finger through the streaks of come that covered them both. He lumbered to his feet and helped Connor stand upright, placing a firm kiss on the android’s lips before grabbing his hand to lead them to the bathroom. 

“ _ Oh no _ , a shower with my boyfriend. How will I ever cope?” 

Hank shook his head, unable to keep the smile from his face, “How the hell am I going to put up with the sassiest android alive?” 

“Simple, you love me.”

“You’re damn right, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay sooo.... like it's done? and I don't know how I feel? Should I cry? My google doc tells me I started this thing 12 Aug 2019... 8 months ago and now it's finally done... 
> 
> thank you to everyone who got this far, enjoyed the story, left kudos, commented, bookmarked and subbed. I hope this silly idea I had maybe put a smile on your face, maybe made you laugh a bit or perhaps made you feel a bit sad sometimes. You guys are the real mvp <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little teaser for g/900 because I have no self control

“Where the hell are those assholes.” Gavin groused to himself, not entirely sure if he was complaining to Richard, or if he just wanted to hear the sound of his own voice. “They’re twenty minutes late, we definitely said 8 pm didn’t we?”

“Correct Detective, however, Connor has just contacted me and told me they were slightly…  _ preoccupied.  _ They will be arriving in ten minutes.”

“ _ Sonofa- _ ”

“I believe you owe me 20 dollars, Gavin.”

“Getting hustled by a goddamn toaster,” the Detective complained, reluctant to grab his wallet and actually pass the cash over. He blushed slightly at his partner’s use of his name; he never did that. 

Richard raised an eyebrow and made a ‘gimme’ gesture with his hand, successfully acquiring the money by staring down his partner.

“What the hell do you need cash for anyway? Can’t you just do it wirelessly?” 

“Usually, but this bar is experiencing internet connection problems and I would be unable to purchase a drink the usual way I do.”

Gavin shrugged, he knew Richard had the same upgrades as Connor so it made sense. He didn’t give it much thought as he fiddled with his phone and the android cleared his throat.

“May I buy you a drink, Gavin,” Richard asked, both elbows on the table as he stared intently at his partner.

“What- you trying to get in my pants, tin can?”

“That wouldn’t exactly be hard…” Richard thought out loud, though he realised he misread the question at Gavin’s stunned expression, “Oh, you meant that figuratively.”

The detective bristled and was about to shout at his partner before he noticed the incredibly faint blue blush across his cheeks, and the sight stopped him in his tracks; snarky words caught in his throat which he had to swallow down before he could breathe again. 

“Sure, I'll have a beer. I’ll not say no to a free drink. Thanks.”

“Excellent.” Richard beamed, the strange moment already forgotten as he rose to his feet and stepped over to the bar. 

Gavin watched him and sighed before running his hand through his hair, eyes still focused on his partner. He wasn’t entirely sure whether that was meant to be more than just a simple, kind gesture and he couldn’t help but stare with an open vulnerability that hardly anyone ever saw. The bar door jingled with the arrival of another patron and Gavin idly pulled his gaze away from Richard to meet the eyes of Hank, his face splitting into a shit-eating grin as he wiggled his eyebrows and nodded his head towards Richard. He wasn’t an idiot, of course the Lieutenant would know what the look Gavin had given to his partner truly meant. 

Gavin sat up straighter in his seat and absently toyed with a coaster, avoiding his superior officer’s accusatory gaze, “ _ Phck _ .” He muttered before a gentle smile pinched the corner of his mouth. 

***

It had been two weeks since the evening at the bar, and Connor was impressed with how much could change in such a short amount of time. He’d cancelled his lease and officially moved in with Hank, much to the utter joy of his brother who teased him about it incessantly.

“That’s enough,  _ Dick _ .” Connor scoffed at his brother’s icy glare.

Richard sighed, eyes falling shut as he calmed himself, “Do you have to call me that?”

“It’s your  _ name  _ isn’t it?” The corner of Connor’s mouth curled into a tight smile, “and if the shoe fits, who am I to judge?”

The petulant jibe earned him a paperclip to his forehead, followed by an eraser and two pencils. The  _ pencils  _ he was quick enough to catch, however; the deviancy caused a slight delay in Connor’s reflexes.  _ He should have seen that coming. _

“Oi, tincans. Not that this between you two isn’t endearing,  _ which it isn’t _ , you’re fucking annoying and I’m trying to work.” Gavin’s voice cut through the androids’ argument.

“You?  _ Work _ ? Wow, Reed, miracles do happen.” Richard sassed, focusing his ire on his partner instead.

“I would’ve preferred you before you deviated.” Gavin replied deadpan, mulling over a thought that came unbidden to his mind, “Also, how the hell do you get  _ Dick  _ from  _ Richard _ ?” 

Connor laughed, patting the detective’s shoulder as he made his way to the breakroom, “You ask him nicely, Detective.”

Connor knew he’d regret that later as he was certain he could feel his brother’s scowl in the back of his head, boring a hole with the intent to make him spontaneously combust, but Richard was too stuck up for his own good. The android had had enough of hearing his brother pine after his partner. He didn’t understand the appeal whatsoever - Reed was an asshole... but then again, Richard was a dick so they pretty much went together - and if his brother wasn’t going to take a leap of faith in their newly deviated lives, Connor was happy to provide the push he desperately needed.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to say the biggest thank you to my wonderful friend, and beta, [Dara!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dara3008/pseuds/dara3008) You have cheered and validated me throughout the creation of this fic and without you it wouldn't have been possible. Thank you for fuelling my love for this ship and this fandom darling, you're the best <3


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